What is curling? The sport featured on Google Doodle ahead of 2026 Winter Olympics

The Google Doodle on 4 February, 2026 celebrates the sport of curling as part of the global build-up to the 2026 Winter Olympics.

The animated Doodle, titled The Spirit of the Slopes, features sweeping views of snowy northern Italian mountains and athletes preparing for different winter disciplines.

The focus, however, is firmly on curling, a sport often described as “chess on ice” because of its emphasis on tactics, positioning and long-term planning.

The Doodle also includes an interactive, stylised mini-game in which users can ski or snowboard through alpine gates to unlock facts about the host locations, Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo.

The artwork draws on Italian visual culture, weaving in regional motifs and design elements inspired by previous Olympic Games hosted in the country.

The experience is available to users worldwide through Google’s Doodles platform.

Curling has been highlighted on this date as preliminary competitions for the sport are already under way, two days before the official opening ceremony of the Games on February 6.

What is Curling?

Curling is played on a long, narrow sheet of ice by two teams who take turns sliding heavy, polished granite stones towards a circular target known as the “house”.

The objective is to place stones as close as possible to the centre of the house while also blocking or displacing opponents’ stones.

A distinctive feature of the sport is sweeping. Teammates run ahead of the moving stone with special brushes to slightly warm and smooth the ice surface, helping control both the distance and the direction of travel. Each round, called an end, becomes a strategic contest of placement, defence and shot-making.

A sport with centuries of history

The origins of curling can be traced back to 16th-century Scotland, where it was played on frozen ponds and lochs.

Over time, the game evolved into an organised indoor sport with standardised equipment and rules. Curling eventually became a permanent part of the Olympic programme at the Nagano Games in 1998.

By featuring curling in today’s Doodle, Google places the spotlight on one of the earliest competitions of Milano Cortina 2026, introducing millions of users to a winter sport built as much on precision and teamwork as on power and speed.