World men’s curling championship draws dedicated and new fans to Ogden
Memories of 2002 strong as some fans arrive for repeat experience
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- From the left, Adam Wurst, 9, and his brother Matthew, 8, of Rock Springs, Wyo., play floor curling at the fan festival outside the 2026 World Men’s Curling Championship on Saturday, March 28, 2026, in Ogden, Utah.
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- The United States’ John Shuster, center, signs autographs for fans with teammates Colin Hufman and Chris Plys following a game at the 2026 World Men’s Curling Championship on Saturday, March 28, 2026, in Ogden, Utah.
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- Ogden Mayor Ben Nadolski, left, speaks to the crowd during the opening ceremony of the World Men’s Curling Championship on Friday, March 27, 2026, at the Ice Sheet in Ogden.
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- Teams line up with their nations’ flags during the opening ceremony for the World Men’s Curling Championship on Friday, March 27, 2026, at the Ice Sheet in Ogden.
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- Children play with a curling display near a fire truck in the outdoor fan festival portion of the World Men’s Curling Championship on Friday, March 27, 2026, at the Ice Sheet in Ogden.
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- A fan in a costume navigates the crowd at the World Men’s Curling Championship on Friday, March 27, 2026, at the Ice Sheet in Ogden.
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- From the left, Matthew Wurst, 8, and his brother Adam, 9, of Rock Springs, Wyo., play floor curling at the fan festival outside the 2026 World Men’s Curling Championship on Saturday, March 28, 2026, in Ogden, Utah. (Ryan Olson, Standard-Examiner)
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- People mingle outside at the World Men’s Curling Championship on Friday, March 27, 2026, at the Ice Sheet in Ogden.
OGDEN — After 24 years, world-caliber championship curling returned to the Weber County Ice Sheet as the 2026 World Men’s Curling Championship got underway Friday.
Ogden’s first return to the world stage since the 2002 Olympics drew hundreds of dedicated curling fans from around the world in addition to curiosity seekers. They were all on hand to watch teams representing 13 countries compete during the opening weekend of the nine-day event.
There were echoes of the 2002 Games at the start of the event in an arena still emblazoned with the Olympic rings. The ceremonial first stone was delivered by 2018 gold medalist John Shuster of the United States, who had been in the stands in Ogden as a spectator with his family in 2002.
During Friday’s ceremony, Shuster threw the rock toward retired Scottish curler and current broadcaster Rhona Howie, whose “Stone of Destiny” in 2002 won Great Britain’s first Winter Olympics gold in 18 years.
Some fans in the stands were also on hand for the 2002 tournament. Chris Chieppa, of Ogden, came to Saturday night’s draw after attending the women’s bronze-medal game with his then-5-year-old daughter 24 years ago. He recalled that after the game, he and his daughter went to speak with the skip of the U.S. team, who autographed the back of his daughter’s ticket.
“I have some fond memories about being here during the Winter Games in 2002, and so we thought we’d come down and give it a try,” Chieppa said.
Many people in the stands were attending their first game after seeing curling on TV during the Olympics or hearing about the event.
Anna Eveson of Tremonton came down to watch the event with her husband. She said they enjoyed watching curling during the Olympics and decided to attend after seeing that the event was in Ogden.
“I think it’s awesome to have these championships locally where we can have them,” Eveson said.
Outside the arena, Andy Coleman and Thomas Kano, both of Layton, were among those checking out the weekend fan festival, which included food, floor curling, a mechanical bull and vendors selling collectibles.
Kano noted it was cool for a world championship to come to Ogden, which doesn’t often host big events.
Coleman agreed.
“The fact that they maintained the venue since 2002 Olympics is really cool,” Coleman said. “We have this opportunity, keeping the facilities up to date like they are to have this kind of event.”
Nearby, brothers Adam, 9, and Matthew Wurst, 8, of Rock Springs, Wyoming, were trying floor curling, where players take turns throwing smaller discs on rollers toward the house.
Looking back at the first game they watched, Adam and Matthew recalled the physical agility needed to curl, including staying balanced during deliveries.
“There were so many people yelling,” Adam said.
Their father, Chris Wurst, brought them to Ogden on Saturday to watch the championship and to see Shuster and the United States play Scotland that night. He noted that the games were faster-paced than on TV as there are four games taking place at the same time.
Chris Wurst also said it was a fun atmosphere, with fans for countries like Canada, Scotland and China bringing a presence to the arena.
“The crowd was super into it and like cheering the good shots,” he said.
Curlers are noticing the enthusiasm of the crowd, including Scottish skip Ross Whyte. Whyte, whose team defeated the United States in Saturday’s round-robin play, said the fans are providing a good environment. He noted it was a little unusual for some fans to cheer misses — typically, curling fans applaud success instead of errors — but he said it was only good for the sport.
“I think the more people we can get in, sitting on the seats and coming in giving us an atmosphere, it’s going to build the sport up and it’s going to make it even better,” he said.
The World Men’s Championship continues daily through Saturday.
Ryan Olson is lead designer for the Daily Herald and Standard-Examiner. He is also a part-time curling instructor for event organizers, the Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation, but was not involved in the event aside from teaching schoolchildren. Ryan can be reached at rolson@standard.net or on Bluesky at bsky.app/profile/quesoguapo.com.
