A new Olympic facility is coming to Las Vegas. Here’s who’s behind it
A nonprofit organization plans to open an Olympic curling facility in Las Vegas next year that could someday host international competitions as well as corporate events, youth, collegiate and adult recreational leagues.
CurlVegas, a charity and curling club, announced Friday that it plans a $1 million renovation of a building at 3525 Post Road near Sunset Park to convert it into a curling center. The project is scheduled to begin next month and be ready for play in the first quarter of 2024.
“The implementation of this facility in Las Vegas further cements Las Vegas as a sports destination,” said CurlVegas President Brad Whitlock. “Although curling is, of course, lesser known than football or hockey, it’s a fantastic, accessible sport that’s rapidly gaining popularity around the world.”
Las Vegas became an improbable curling hub in 2014 when Orleans Arena hosted the World Financial Group Continental Cup of Curling. The event returned in 2016 and 2017 and in 2018, the Men’s World Curling Championship was staged there.
“Local Las Vegans will benefit with lessons and leagues, but this center will also draw in many U.S. as well as international guests to Las Vegas for tournaments,” said 2018 USA Curling Gold Medal Olympian Tyler George. “Both the United States Curling Association as well as the World Curling Federation have recognized Las Vegas as a curling hotspot.”
Founded in 2020, CurlVegas is one of only two curling clubs in Nevada, with the other in Lake Tahoe. Whitlock said the club’s goal is to introduce the sport of curling to the local community as a recreational option for youth, seniors and persons with disabilities in Las Vegas. Its ultimate goal has been to build a permanent curling facility in the Las Vegas area, so that they can offer full-time curling programs and become an integral part of the Las Vegas community, fostering the social and competitive spirit of the sport and teaching and developing curlers to compete at the local, national and international levels.
Whitlock said in addition to charity events such as the Military Appreciation Night, CurlVegas hosts public learn-to-curl lessons, corporate team-building events, private parties and leagues. CurlVegas also is a member of the United States Curling Association.
Former Lt. Gov. Brian Krolicki who, with Reno Tahoe Winter Games Coalition CEO Jon Killoran, has worked for years trying to bring the Winter Olympic Games to Lake Tahoe, said he was excited for the new curling facility.
“We are absolutely thrilled to see this happen for Brad and CurlVegas,” Krolicki said in a text. “They’ve been our most ardent volunteers for our world curling events at The Orleans over the past many years, and Brad actually worked with the World Curling Federation ice technicians. This project has been their dream for a very long while. I’m extremely proud of them.”
CurlVegas plans a fundraising poker tournament, the second annual “Cards for Curling” event Aug. 26 at the Stirling Club. Persons can access charityseriesofpoker.org/cv51 for more information or to register to play.
The night before the tournament, Aug. 25, other Nevada Olympians and club members will show people how to curl. Persons interested in participating should email info@curlvegas.com or call 702-614-9392 for information about the time and location.
Contact Richard N. Velotta at rvelotta@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3893. Follow @RickVelotta on X, formerly known as Twitter.
How to curl
The peculiar medieval sport of curling, a game in which 42-pound granite stones are thrown down a 150-foot sheet of ice at a 12-foot circular target while teammates use brushes or brooms to sweep the ice in the path of the stone, has seen a tremendous increase in popularity in the U.S. in the past decade.
Owing largely in part to televised coverage during the Winter Olympics, including a gold medal win for the U.S. men's team in 2018, the sport has seen explosive expansion in the United States in recent years.
Las Vegas has been a particular hotspot for the sport with major events at The Orleans over the past 10 years with fans from Canada and other countries purchasing tickets to attend.
When the Reno Tahoe Winter Games Coalition attempted to secure the Winter Olympic Games at Lake Tahoe and Squaw Valley, California, Las Vegas was under consideration as a site to stage the curling competition.
