Yan Zhuo throws a stone in the wheelchair curling match against South Korea at the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games on March 6. Photo: Xinhua

Did you know there is no sweeping in wheelchair curling?

Instead of sweeping, the para-athletes compete purely through throwing. The player's wheelchair must be stationary during the throw and the stones can be thrown by hand or given an initial push with a cue.

In wheelchair curling, each team is mixed, so one female or one male athlete must be on the ice at all times during the competition. Teams are composed of five athletes: a lead, second, vice skip, skip, and alternate.

According to the World Curling Federation, wheelchair curling is generally open to people with significant impairments in lower leg and gait function who usually require a wheelchair for daily mobility. More specifically, these are athletes who are non-ambulant or only able to walk short distances. International sports classifiers determine the minimum disability and appropriate classification.

The game consists of eight ends. Alternating between teams, each player delivers stones until all 16 have been thrown after which an end is completed. A total of 68 minutes is given to each team with one 60-second timeout.

During the delivery of the stone, the feet of the curler must not touch the ice surface and the wheels of the chair must be in direct contact with the surface. The stone must be clearly released from the hand/stick before it reaches the hog line of that end.