Plans to establish the rink, in the city in Gyeonggi Province in the north of the country, have been outlined by both the provincial and municipal Governments in the hope it will boost participation levels as well as the general popularity of the sport.

It is also hoped the rink will boost the preparations of the Olympic team as they look towards competing on home ice at Pyeongchang in four years time because at present there are only two other rinks in the country for them to train on.

Although not a traditional sport in South Korea, curling has enjoyed huge success in recent years particularly in terms of the women's team, who followed victory at both the 2010 and 2013 Pacific-Asia Championships with qualification for their first Winter Olympics in Sochi.

They finished in eighth place in the round-robin stage with three wins from nine matches.

The South Korean curling team in action during Sochi 2014
©Sports Illustrated/Getty Images



South Korea has also enjoyed success in wheelchair curling and, after winning a silver medal at Vancouver 2010, they are currently competing in the Paralympics in Sochi.

Curling is also the only sport on the programme for Pyeongchang 2018 in which the venue was completed before the Games were awarded two years ago.

The Gangneung Indoor Ice Rink in the coastal cluster, which is due to host both curling and wheelchair curling during the Games, was opened in 1998 and also hosted the 2009 World Women's Championships. 

But until renovation work is undergone from September 2015, the rink remains relatively small, thus deeming the proposed one in Uijeongbu City especially important. 

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