By Ben Morse, CNN
(CNN) — When the Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games come around every four years, there are many sports which compete to grab the attention of viewers around the world.
However, there is one in particular that seems to capture the hearts and minds of many every time: curling.
Whether it be the seemingly manic brushing done in front of the stone or the incredible skill needed to accurately slide stones into precise positions from so far away, curling becomes must-watch TV.
The game earned the moniker, The Roarin’ Game, from the roar sound which comes from the granite stone as it travels over the ice.
Ahead of the competition kicking off in Milan Cortina, we’re here to help you understand just what is curling, the sport which could capture the imagination of the world over the next few weeks.
When did curling start?
Although its exact origins can’t be accurately traced, curling is a sport believed to have originated in the 16th century.
Paintings from Flemish artist Pieter Bruegel appear to portray an activity similar to curling being played on frozen ponds.
In 1540, John McQuhin – a notary in Paisley, Scotland – appeared to produce the first written evidence of curling.
Written in Latin, McQuhin recorded in his book a challenge between John Sclater, a monk in Paisley Abbey, and Gavin Hamilton, a representative of the Abbot. It said that Sclater threw a stone along the ice three times and asserted that he was ready for the agreed contest.
While an exact date can’t be pinpointed, according to the World Curling Federation, the sport was played during its early stages on frozen lochs and ponds in northern Europe.
It became popular across the world as emigrating Scots introduced curling to countries with similar climates.
The first official rules of curling were drawn up in Scotland and adopted by the Grand Caledonian Curling Club – which became the sport’s governing body – in 1838.
The Club was renamed to the Royal Caledonian Curling Club in 1843 after Queen Victoria took a liking to curling after a demonstration on the ballroom floor of Scone Palace.
Although international curling matches have been recorded since the 19th century, the first official international matches took place at the first Winter Olympics in 1924 in Chamonix, France. Great Britain defeated Sweden and France in what was retroactively accepted as curling’s Olympic debut.
Curling was also a demonstration sport at the 1932 Winter Games, and later on in 1988 and 1992. This designation meant the sport wasn’t played for medal competition.
It wasn’t until 1992 that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) granted medal status to men’s and women’s curling. It was introduced to the Winter Olympics in 1998 in Japan and has gone on to be a regular inclusion.
What is needed to play curling?
Curling stones are made from a special type of granite and weigh almost 20 kilos (about 44 pounds).
Each curler has their own brush and a specific type of shoe specialized for the sport.
In each pair of shoes, one sole grips the ice, while the other is more slippery – called a slider – allowing players to slide with the stone when they’re playing it.
Por Gonzalo Jiménez, CNN en Español
Producida por Crave, una pequeña plataforma de streaming canadiense, y estrenada por HBO en noviembre de 2025 en Estados Unidos, la serie “Heated Rivalry” se convirtió en un fenómeno cultural al ambientar un romance queer entre dos jugadores en el competitivo mundo del hockey profesional, con escenas subidas de tono que dominaron las conversaciones en redes sociales.
Ahora la serie, con el título traducido de “Más que rivales”, se estrena este viernes en Latinoamérica en HBO Max y este jueves en España a través de Movistar+. (HBO Max forma parte, al igual que CNN en Español, de Warner Bros. Discovery).
La trama de “Heated Rivalry” se centra en los dos mejores jugares de la liga profesional de hockey, el canadiense Shane Hollander (Hudson Williams) y el ruso Ilya Rozanov (Connor Storrie), quienes pertenecen a equipos rivales y, pese a la competencia entre ellos, sienten una enorme atracción el uno por el otro. Es una relación intensa a la que ambos deciden mantener en secreto para evitar que sea presa de la hostilidad entre ambos equipos.
Y aunque pareciera una trama con ecos de la película “Challengers” (2024) con Zendaya, Josh O’Connor y Mike Faist (ambientada en el mundo del tenis), “Heated Rivalry” está basada en una popular saga literaria titulada “Game Changers”, compuesta de seis novelas escritas por Rachel Reid.
La comunidad homosexual y el público femenino, ávidos lectores de los libros de Reid, han respaldado la serie y la reacción de la audencia en general hizo de sus dos protagonistas auténtica figuras nacionales, como se vio en la reciente gala de entrega de los premios Globo de Oro 2026, en la que Williams y Storrie presentaron la categoría de mejor actriz de reparto.
Según The Hollywood Reporter, HBO reveló que los seis episodios de “Heated Rivalry” han sido vistos cada uno por un promedio de 9 millones de espectadores en Estados Unidos.
El creador, guionista y director de la serie, Jacob Tierney, contó a The Los Angeles Times que ya está trabajando en el plan de producción de la temporada 2 de “Heated Rivalry”. En la entrevista, Tierney admite que recibió notas de alguos posibles financistas del proyecto en las que le pedían que retrasara “las representaciones gráficas de sexo gay” y que introduciese antes al personaje de Rose Landry (Sophie Nélisse) “y ponerla en un triángulo amoroso con Shane e Ilya, porque creían que ‘este programa no funcionará sin un punto de entrada femenino’”.
La crítica ha elogiado la honestidad en la presentación de la historia de amor entre los protagonistas. El sitio web español Serielizados, especializado en series de televisión, escribió en su reseña de “Heated Rivalry” que “no es solo un ‘amor prohibido’ entre dos estrellas, sino una exploración sobre el valor de ser uno mismo en un mundo exigente y restrictivo”.
El mundo del deporte y la moda se han acercado al fenómeno. El pasado 16 de enero, Hudson Williams desfiló en el show de moda de la marca Dsquared2 durante la Semana de la Moda Masculina en Milán.
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By Alicia Wallace, CNN
(CNN) — The brief US government shutdown has delayed the official jobs report for January, but the first look at hiring activity in the private sector showed that employment gains sputtered to start the year.
Payroll giant ADP reported Wednesday that employers in the private sector added just 22,000 jobs in January, about half the size of the 45,000-job gain economists were expecting.
The weaker-than-expected January gains follow a year when hiring slowed significantly.
“Job creation took a step back in 2025, with private employers adding 398,000 jobs, down from 771,000 in 2024,” Nela Richardson, chief economist of ADP, said in the statement. “While we’ve seen a continuous and dramatic slowdown in job creation for the past three years, wage growth has remained stable.”
This story is developing and will be updated.
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