Curling at the 2022 Winter Olympics – Qualification
A total of 10 teams in each tournament (5 athletes per team) will qualify for a quota of 100 athletes in curling at the 2022 Winter Olympics. A further 10 mixed doubles pairs will qualify for a total of 20 athletes. Therefore, a total of 120 athletes can qualify in total to compete in the curling competitions.
Qualification timeline
| Event | Date | Host City |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 World Women's Curling Championship | Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic[1] | Prince George, Canada |
| 2020 World Men's Curling Championship | Glasgow, Scotland | |
| 2020 World Mixed Doubles Curling Championship | Kelowna, Canada | |
| 2021 World Women's Curling Championship | 20–28 March 2021 | Schaffhausen, Switzerland |
| 2021 World Men's Curling Championship | 3–11 April 2021 | Ottawa, Canada |
| 2021 World Mixed Doubles Curling Championship | 24 April–1 May 2021 | TBA |
| Pre-Olympic Qualification Event | 23–30 October 2021 | TBA |
| Olympic Qualification Event | 5–10 December 2021 | TBA |
| Olympic Qualification Event (OQE) – Mixed Doubles | 12–17 December 2021 | TBA |
Qualification system before COVID-19
Qualification to the Men's and Women's curling tournaments at the Winter Olympics will be determined through two methods (in addition to the host nation). Nations will qualify teams by earning qualification points from performances at the 2020 and 2021 World Curling Championships. Teams can also qualify through Olympic qualification events which will be held in 2021. Seven nations will qualify teams via World Championship qualification points, while two nations will qualify through qualification events. In men's and women's play a host will be selected for the Olympic Qualification Event (OQE). They will be joined by the five nations with the highest qualification points not already qualified to the Olympics, and two qualifiers from the Pre-Olympic Qualification Event (Pre-OQE). The Pre-OQE will be open to all member associations.[2] For the mixed doubles competition in 2022, they are expanding the tournament from eight competitor nations to ten.[3] The top seven ranked teams earning qualification points from performances at the 2020 and 2021 World Mixed Doubles Curling Championship will qualify along with two qualifiers from the Olympic Qualification Event (OQE) – Mixed Doubles. This OQE will be open to a nominated host and the fifteen nations with the highest qualification points not already qualified to the Olympics. As the host nation, China qualified teams automatically, thus making a total of ten teams per event in the curling tournaments.[4]
Qualification points
The qualification points are allotted based on the nations' final rankings at the World Championships. The point distribution for Olympic Qualification will be as follows:[5]
- Men's and Women's tournaments
| Final rank | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 |
| Points | 15 | 13 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
- Mixed Doubles
| Final rank | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 |
| Points | 27 | 23 | 20 | 18 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
Note: Scotland, England and Wales all compete separately in international curling. By an agreement between the curling federations of those three home nations, only Scotland can score Olympic qualification points on behalf of Great Britain.[6]
COVID-19 impact on qualifications
Before the impact of COVID-19, teams would accrue Olympic Qualification Points during the 2020 and 2021 seasons. Because the World Curling Championships are not taking place in 2020, no Olympic Qualification Points will be awarded in 2020.[7]
The host nation, China, will qualify for one of ten spots in the Men's, Women's and Mixed Doubles.
For the Men's and Women's tournament, the top six teams at the 2021 Men's and Women's Championship will automatically earn a spot at the Olympics. If China is among those top six teams then only the five other teams in the top six will directly qualify and a fourth qualifier will be needed. The remaining three (or four) spots will be obtained through an Olympic Qualification Event.
For Mixed Doubles, the top seven teams at the 2021 Mixed Doubles Championship will automatically earn a spot at the Olympics. If China appears in the top seven, the eighth place team will qualify as well. The remaining two spots will be obtained through an Olympic Qualification Event.
Standings
| Key | |
|---|---|
| Host nation | |
| Nations that qualified directly for the Olympic Games via placement at the 2021 championship | |
| Nations that qualified via the Olympic Qualification Event | |
Men
| Country | 2021 |
|---|---|
 Canada
|
|
 China
|
Women
| Country | 2021 |
|---|---|
| China
|
|
 Switzerland
|
Mixed Doubles
| Country | 2021 |
|---|---|
 Australia
|
|
| Canada
|
|
| China
|
|
 Czech Republic
|
|
 Estonia
|
|
 Finland
|
|
 Germany
|
|
 Great Britain
|
|
 Hungary
|
|
 Italy
|
|
 Japan
|
|
 New Zealand
|
|
 Norway
|
|
 Russia
|
|
 South Korea
|
|
 Spain
|
|
 Sweden
|
|
| Switzerland
|
|
 United States
|
References
- ^ https://worldcurling.org/2020/04/complete-cancellation/
- ^ Rule changes outlined
- ^ "World Curling Federation welcomes bigger mixed doubles field for Beijing 2022". World Curling Federation. July 19, 2018.
- ^ "Beijing named host city of Olympic Winter Games 2022". World Curling Federation. July 31, 2015.
- ^ "Olympic qualification". World Curling Federation. February 27, 2020.
- ^ "Qualification System – Games of the XXIV Olympic Winter Games – Curling" (PDF). World Curling Federation. January 31, 2020. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
- ^ https://worldcurling.org/2020/04/complete-cancellation/