New pro curling league scheduled to start in 2026 with hopes of prolonging the Olympic spotlight
Associated Press
Curling is getting its first professional league, stocked with past and future Olympians competing in a six-week, six-team season touring internationally starting next April in the aftermath of the Milan-Cortina Olympics.
The Curling Group, which owns the Grand Slam of Curling event series, announced the creation of Rock League on Thursday. The six-week circuit will include stops in Canada, the United States and Europe, where six teams of five men and five women each will play a variety of formats to be determined.
'As an athlete, I could have only dreamed about being able to participate in a professional curling league,' said Jennifer Jones, a 2014 Olympic gold medalist who is an adviser to the league. 'Now, having the opportunity to help make that dream a reality for the next generation of curlers is a true honor – and it's what inspires us every day as we work to build this league.'
There will be two teams apiece from Canada and Europe, one from the United States and one from Asia. Among the athletes signed up as captains are Olympic medalists Bruce Mouat of Scotland, Brad Jacobs of Canada and Chinami Yoshida of Japan.
Korey Dropkin, a world mixed doubles champion who would represent the U.S. at the 2026 Games, will captain the American team. Canadian Rachel Homan and Alina Paetz of Switzerland, both two-time Olympians, are the other captains.
John Morris, a two-time Olympic gold medalist and adviser to the league, said the captains were chosen based on leadership, ability to work with teammates and curling skill.
'Our goal is to create a one-of-a-kind experience that brings out the very best of curling – where longtime rivals might end up as teammates, and rising stars have the chance to cement their legacy as professional athletes,' he said.
___
AP sports: https://apnews.com/hub/sports in this topic
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
San Francisco Chronicle
31 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
The Paris Games flame rises again — but it's no longer ‘Olympic'
PARIS (AP) — The Paris Games may be over, but the flame is still rising — just don't call it Olympic. The helium-powered hot-air balloon that lit up the French capital's skyline during the 2024 Games is making a dramatic comeback to the Tuileries Gardens, reborn as the 'Paris Cauldron.' Thanks to an agreement with the International Olympic Committee, the renamed marvel will now lift off into the sky each summer evening — a ghostly echo of last year's opening ceremony — from June 21 to Sept. 14, for the next three years. Gone is the official 'Olympic' branding — forbidden under IOC reuse rules — but not the spectacle. The 30-meter-tall (98-foot) floating ring, dreamed up by French designer Mathieu Lehanneur and powered by French energy giant EDF, simulates flame without fire: LED lights, mist jets, and high-pressure fans create a luminous halo that hovers above the city at dusk, visible from rooftops across the capital. 'It's one of those monuments in Paris that could stay,' said Laurent Broéze, a local architect pausing in the gardens Thursday. 'It was set up temporarily, but a bit like the Eiffel Tower, it makes sense for it to return. It's a bit of a shame they want to take it down later, but maybe it could be installed somewhere else, I don't know.' Though it stole the show in 2024, the cauldron's original aluminum-and-balloon build was only meant to be temporary — not engineered for multi-year outdoor exposure. To transform it into a summer staple, engineers reinforced it: The aluminum ring and tether points were rebuilt with tougher components to handle rain, sun, and temperature changes over several seasons. Aérophile, Paris's tethered balloon specialist, redesigned the winch and tether system to meet aviation rules, allowing safe operation in winds up to 20–25 kmh (12-15 mph). Hydraulic, electrical, and misting systems were fortified — not only to ensure smooth nightly flights but to endure months of wear and tear untested on the original design. These retrofits shift the cauldron from a fragile, one-off spectacle to a resilient, summer-long landmark — prepared to withstand everything Paris summers can throw at it. The structure first dazzled during the Paris 2024 Games, ignited on July 26 by Olympic champions Marie-José Pérec and Teddy Riner. Over just 40 days, it drew more than 200,000 visitors, according to officials. Now perched in the center of the drained Tuileries pond, the cauldron's return is part of President Emmanuel Macron's effort to preserve the Games' spirit in the city, as Paris looks ahead to the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. Visitors have already begun to gather. 'Beautiful,' said Javier Smith, a tourist from Texas. 'And the place where it's going to be, or is sitting now, it's beautiful. All these beautiful buildings, the Louvre, all that is fantastic.' Access is free and unticketed. The cauldron will be on display from morning to night, igniting with light from 10 a.m. and lifting off each evening after the garden closes — 10:30 pm in June and July, with earlier times through September. It will float above the city for several hours before quietly descending around 1 a.m. The 'flame,' while entirely electric, still conjures a sense of Olympic poetry. 'Yes, we came for a little outing focused on the statues related to mythology in the Tuileries Garden,' said Chloé Solana, a teacher visiting with her students. 'But it's true we're also taking advantage of the opportunity, because last week the Olympic cauldron wasn't here yet, so it was really nice to be able to show it to the students.' The cauldron's ascent may become a new rhythm of the Parisian summer, with special flights planned for Bastille Day on July 14 and the one-year anniversary of the 2024 opening ceremony on July 26. It no longer carries the Olympic name. But this phoenix-like cauldron is still lifting Paris into the clouds — and into memory. ___ Nicolas Garriga in Paris contributed to this report
Washington Post
33 minutes ago
- Washington Post
The Paris Games flame rises again — but it's no longer ‘Olympic'
PARIS — The Paris Games may be over, but the flame is still rising — just don't call it Olympic. The helium-powered hot-air balloon that lit up the French capital's skyline during the 2024 Games is making a dramatic comeback to the Tuileries Gardens, reborn as the 'Paris Cauldron.'
Yahoo
38 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Skinsuits, superspikes and a sticky headband: how Faith Kipyegon hopes to run sub-four minute mile
Eight seconds. It's barely enough time for most people to tie their shoelaces. But when you are Faith Kipyegon, and you're trying to become the first woman to shatter the four-minute mile barrier, those eight seconds constitute a chasm. But now we know how the 31-year-old Kenyan, who set the mile world record of 4 mins 7.64 secs in 2023, intends to close the gap and emulate Sir Roger Bannister's historic feat. Advertisement Related: Olympic champion Gabby Thomas followed and heckled by gambler at Grand Slam Track meet On Thursday her sponsor Nike revealed that when Kipyegon makes her sub-four attempt in Paris on 26 June, she will be wearing a special aerodynamic skinsuit with '3D-printed aeronodes', along with new super spikes, which are even lighter and more propulsive. The skinsuit, which would not currently be permitted in official World Athletics races, draws on similar technology used by British Cycling and British Skeleton when they dominated the Summer and Winter Olympics between 2008 and 2018. Crucially, the aeronodes are able to create a 'turbulence' effect designed to reduce the amount of wind resistance acting on the body when Kipyegon runs. Advertisement 'The magic with the aeronodes on the suit and leg sleeves is that it creates a controlled turbulence area,' said Lisa Gibson of Nike's Innovation lab. 'It splits the air in front of Faith and creates smaller eddies behind her to reduce drag.' Reducing resistance is clearly a key factor in the attempt. A recent scientific paper by Prof Rodger Kram, a physiologist at the University of Colorado Boulder, suggested that Kipyegon could run a sub-four minute mile by using pacemakers deployed in front and behind her to reduce drag. The mother of one will also be wearing a headband designed to further reduce drag, as well as the latest prototype of Nike super spikes, the Victory Elite FK, which have 3mm more foam and are lighter than the track spikes she wore when winning Olympic 1500m gold last year. And while most experts remain sceptical that Kipyegon can do it, despite the added technological assistance, the scientist behind her attempt says that confidence is building. Advertisement Brett Kirby, who worked with Eliud Kipchoge to help the Kenyan break the two-hour barrier in the marathon, said he understood the scepticism. However he said he was convinced that Kipyegon could go much quicker. 'I'm a scientist and it's all about thinking critically,' said Kirby, the senior principal scientist at Nike's sport research lab. 'So when I first heard the idea, I was like, 'man, I don't know. It sounds really hard to get those eight seconds.' But when we stepped back and looked at Faith in 2023, and things like her pacing – which may have initially looked optimal – we realised that there was more there.' 'When you start to add on these other pieces of the puzzle, and put them together to make that matrix, then things start to get really exciting,' he added. 'You start to get more inspired. You say, 'Wow, OK, these pieces come together like a really nice system, from the apparel side, the footwear side, the location side, and maybe some tweaks in preparation'. And before you know it, you have this matrix that comes together.' 'And you put all the pieces together, and it slowly builds more and more confidence as we get closer.' Advertisement Not everyone in Kipyegon's team is as cautious. Simon Bairu, her sports marketing partner, believes it is only a matter of time before she makes history. 'When she breaks four, she won't just set a record,' he said. 'She'll change what every girl watching thinks is possible. I don't think she can do it – I know she will.' Nike's experts would not be drawn on just how much of a performance boost Kipyegon might expect from their new technology. However Carrie Dimoff, of Nike's Innovation Footwear department, said that Kipyegon's new spikes had shown greater energy return in testing. Dimhoff also confirmed that while the new spikes had not yet been submitted to World Athletics for approval, as they had been making ongoing adjustments to them, they did conform to the rules. 'The height of the shoe does not actually get any higher,' she added. 'We've just diverted some of the height from other materials into that energetic air sole design to give Faith more efficient push off and more energy return with every stride.'
