Shanghai to host National Curling Championship for first time

The 2025-26 Chinese National Curling Championship will be held in Shanghai from March 22 to April 4 next year, marking the first time the city has hosted the sports event.

A previous National Curling Championship. [Photo/WeChat account: shputuo]

The Putuo Ice Sports Center in Putuo district, with its 1,800-square-meter ice surface, will be transformed into five standard curling sheets as the city prepares to welcome top curling athletes from across the country.

As the pinnacle of China's annual curling competitions, the championship gathers elite players throughout the country, and is expected to see a record number of participants.

With its international flair and solid sports foundation, Shanghai has become a benchmark for the development of winter sports in southern China. From professional venue construction and public event promotion to youth training and the cultivation of ice and snow culture, the city has hosted international events such as the ISU Short Track Speed Skating World Cup for several years and is home to over 1 million ice and snow sports enthusiasts.

The Putuo Ice Sports Center is a professional facility integrating training, competition and education, equipped with world-class curling sheets and intelligent facilities. Its operational model and service quality have been widely praised. Putuo district has effectively utilized its resources to promote ice sports, with 14 schools offering basic skating courses and 13 schools forming curling teams for training.

Putuo aims to attract national curling elites, promote the sport, and nurture talent, while leveraging the event's economic impact to boost the district's development. This will allow residents to experience the excitement of winter sports right at their doorstep and help Shanghai establish itself as a "globally renowned sports city".