Despite limited ice time, Singapore’s curlers push on to grow the sport

SINGAPORE – Lionel Loh belongs to a rare tribe of Singaporeans who play a sport that few from tropical climes participate in – curling.

It is an unlikely path for someone who competed in table tennis, from primary school through to university.

But, after watching curling on TV during the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, Loh was hooked and today he is among 29 registered curlers in Singapore.

When he competes aboard, his fellow competitors are often intrigued to find out that Singapore has a curling team and want to know where the players train.

The answer is not an easy one. While they previously trained at Singapore’s only Olympic-sized ice rink in JCube, things have become more challenging for Loh and his teammates since the mall’s closure in August 2023.

The sole ice rink remaining at Leisure Park Kallang is not suited for curling.

Despite the scarce ice time and training opportunities, the 30-year-old remains committed to the sport.

On what keeps him going, Loh said: “It’s just pure love and passion for curling. Even though I don’t have a lot of opportunities to curl and practise, I still watch games quite regularly and keep up with curling news.”

Pointing to the diversity and inclusivity in the sport, Loh cited an example at a competition in Poland in 2024, when they played against a team of deaf players.

At the Asian Curling Club Championships in South Korea from Aug 15 to 17, they faced a team comprising curlers in their 60s.

He said: “I feel there is a lot of potential for curling to grow in Singapore – it’s a sport that’s quite easy to pick up... and is a very inclusive sport.”

Described as “chess on ice”, curling is a team sport played on ice where two teams of four players take turns sliding granite stones towards a target called the “house”. The objective is to have a team’s stones closer to the centre of the house than their opponents’.

Curling was first included in the Winter Olympics in 1924 before returning as a medal sport in 1998, after appearing as a demonstration event in 1932, 1988 and 1992.

It has been in Singapore since at least 1998 and there were at least 10 registered curlers when the Curling Association Singapore (CAS) was formed in 2001.

With overseas competitions and training camps now the only opportunities for ice time, the growth of the sport has slowed, said CAS president Somerton Sio.

He said: “That was quite sad because it just means that we can’t grow the membership, I can only really maintain the existing numbers. It’s hard to have Learn-to-Curl lessons and I would be in a difficult position to sell a Learn-to-Curl course overseas, it’s a big commitment.

“It also leads to skill decline because we are now stagnant at a certain level – the members are having to go overseas just to practise and those trips can’t happen often.” 

But there is a glimmer of hope. It was announced on Aug 4 that CAS had gained conditional membership from World Curling, opening doors to resources that could help develop the sport.

To keep interest alive, CAS has continued its efforts through floor curling, an ice-free version played with target mats and stones on bearings. 

While not a perfect substitute for curling on ice, it helps introduce newcomers to the sport.

The movement is also being nurtured overseas. Daniel Kang, a Singaporean who moved to Vancouver for work in 2020, began curling after watching the 2022 Winter Olympics.

While his posting was initially for two years, the 36-year-old stayed on in Canada as he enjoys the life there, with his love for curling among the reasons.

He now trains actively, competes in local leagues and organises introductory sessions, hoping to connect with fellow Singaporeans in Canada through the sport.

Despite being far from home, Kang, a product manager at a technology firm, feels it is important to stay connected to the community in Singapore.

He said: “I really want the sport to thrive in Singapore, it’s something that I have a very strong passion for. Being able to do it well could be something that inspires people to get involved in the sport...

“It’s a good community, I admire each and every one of them, everybody wants the sport to thrive in Singapore, even under the current situation.”

Back home, Sio is pinning hopes on a new ice rink. The Straits Times reported in February that talks were under way for a new Olympic-sized ice rink to be built at the site of the former Pandan Gardens Swimming Complex.

Pointing to how other countries in the region are developing the sport – Thailand sent a curling team to the Asian Winter Games for the first time in 2025 – Sio hopes that Singapore’s athletes will also be able to represent the country on that stage.

Before hitting that goal, he hopes to see “a sustainable community of curlers in Singapore”.

“I would like to have more youth have curling as something that interests them – it’s a game that is both cerebral and physical,” he added.