Curling is a competition between two teams with four players each. The game is played on ice and the two teams take turns pushing 42-pound stones towards a series of concentric circles. The object is to get the stones as close to the center of the circles as possible. The center of the circles is known as the tee. A team scores a point for each stone that is closer to the tee than the opponents' best stone, provided that the stone is within 6 feet (1.83 meters) of the tee. This circular area is known as the house; it is the scoring zone in curling.  

Both the men's and the women's tournaments include 10 teams. In the preliminary round, each team plays every other team, so each team plays nine games. After each team has completed nine games, the teams with the four best records advance to the semifinals.

If there are not a clear top four teams, tie-breaking games will be played. Any team that ties for one of the top four sports will have the opportunity to play its way into the semifinals. Once the semifinals begin, if a team had a better record than its opponent, it will be given the right to the shoot last. If the teams have the same record, there is a coin flip for last stone.

The winners of the semifinals meet in the final for the gold medal. The losers play for the bronze medal.