How many players are there in a curling team?

Curling is a sport played on ice by teams of four payers. The sport involves sliding curling stones on the ice towards a target, called the house. Teams take turns to slide eight stones, with the stone closest to the centre of the house (target) scoring points. Each round is called an end, with the game ending after eight or ten ends. The team with the most points is the winner.

The captain of the team, or 'skip' decides whether to aim the stone for the house or hit one of the other team's stones out of play. Alternatively, they may choose to make a stone stop before the house to guard one of their other stones. The skip stands behind the house, indicating to the team where to aim. The player delivering the stone slides it forward, turning the handle on top of the stone just before letting go to give it some curl. The other two players sweep the ice in front of the stone as it slides to make the path smooth. Players take turns to deliver stones.

Curling was invented in Scotland in the 16th century. The first curling club in the world was the Kilsyth Curling Club, which formed in 1716 and still exists in the 21st century. Curling was played at the Winter Olympics for the first time in 1998.