Curling: A stone's throw from Scottish lochs to the heart of Asia

BEIJING: Hugh Millikin was once half a point away from being one of Australia's first Olympic curlers, but he is now tasked with helping the world's most populous region sweep onto the ice as the "roaring game" continues to pique interest around the globe.

The Canadian-born 64-year-old is Pacific-Asia vice president at the World Curling Federation (WCF), and helps run the sport's governing body from Australia - a country still without a dedicated curling facility.

Looking ahead to the 2026 Winter Games in Milan and Cortina, Millikin believes that the United States, Asia and the Middle East will be the biggest growth areas for curling.

"In China, Japan and South Korea, curling has hit an interest level that's fantastic," Millkin told Reuters. "The other growth that's happening is in the Middle East and the subcontinent.

"I think by the time we get to the next Olympics, you're going to see a lot more people playing in those regions."

The WCF had 30 member nations when curling made its Olympic debut at Nagano in 1998, but that has more than doubled.

With Kenya, Bolivia, Saudi Arabia and India among those becoming members in the last five years, the sport has come a long way from its beginnings on frozen lochs in medieval Scotland.

"It has more of a traditional base in cold countries, but we can put a curling rink anywhere," Millikin said. "In warm countries, it might be a little difficult to get a luge or biathlon team together, but doing something on ice is easier.

"And it's not just about having new names on a list, it's really helping them be successful and getting people playing at a local level in dedicated facilities. That's the real sign of growth, and that's where hopefully we'll get to in four years."

Millikin played a