Aspiring Olympians to showcase talents in Sioux Falls
Curlers will compete to represent country at Winter Olympics in 2026
The road to the 2026 Winter Olympics goes through South Dakota.
Sioux Falls will be the site of the U.S. Olympics Team Trials for both men’s and women’s curling, announced by USA Curling and the Sioux Falls Sports Authority during a news conference Monday at the Denny Sanford Premier Center.
“The people of Sioux Falls have a proven track record of turning out for major sporting events and entertainment, and we’re thrilled to bring an Olympic Trials here,” Sports Authority President Thomas Lee said. “We know people will love the Denny Sanford Premier Center, but we also can’t wait to show visitors from around the country everything else our city has to offer.”
NEWS: Sioux Falls groups lean into business training to help growing childcare demand
Slated for Nov. 7-16, 2025, competitors will partake in a “round-robin” play before advancing to a final playoff. The winners will earn the right to represent the United States at the 2026 Olympic Games in Italy. In addition, curlers attempting to make America’s Paralympic team — competing the same year — will converge also compete in trials hosted by Sioux Falls.
Since being reintroduced to the Winter Olympics in 1998 after a seven-decade hiatus, curling has grown in popularity across the United States, particularly in the northeast and the upper Midwest. In South Dakota, the formation of the Sioux Falls Curling Club in 2014 has helped spike interest in the sport that entails four-member teams sliding stones on ice toward an intended target.
Landing the trials will also be a boost to the local curling community, which is working toward building a permanent curling complex here.
“We will also work closely with the members of the Sioux Falls Curling Club to not only deliver a great event but help fuel their drive towards a dedicated ice facility,” said Dean Gemmell, CEO of USA Curling.
The 2026 Winter Olympics will be held in multiple locations throughout Italy. The United States last won a gold medal in curling in the 2018 games in South Korea. Canada has won the most gold medals in the event — three since 1998.
