Luxembourg Women's Curling Team Return to International Ice After 25 Years

Luxembourg’s women’s national curling team recently returned to international competition for the first time in 25 years, taking part in the 2025 European Curling Championships held from Saturday 26 April to Thursday 1 May in Östersund, Sweden.

The Luxembourg women’s national curling team made their international debut at the European Curling Championships with a squad of five athletes: Virginie Hansen (Fourth and skip), Shiori Kuboki (Third and vice-skip), Betty Spurgeon (Second), Maja Gildhoff Bjerg-Petersen (Lead) and Carole Remesch (Alternate). The team was coached by Canadian Rick Collins.

Team Luxembourg competed in the C-Division – the third tier of the European competition – where they faced six opponents: Finland, Slovakia, Belgium, Israel, Ukraine and Spain.

Team Luxembourg were unable to secure a win during the competition, although they delivered close performances against Belgium and Israel, both ending in 5-7 losses. Team member Shiori Kuboki received recognition as the tournament’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) for her performance in the “Last Stone Draw” and her demonstration of sportsmanship.

“I am honoured to receive the MVP award, which is a feat only accomplished through the bond of all our team members, to whom I am absolutely thankful. I feel strongly that this award is a great representation of how well our team works together, as it could not have been received without the communication, the sweeping and everything else that is involved in delivering a great stone,” said Shiori Kuboki, speaking to Chronicle.lu.

In addition, the Luxembourg national curling team member reflected on the final day of competition, describing the closely contested match against Ukraine as the most memorable and a clear demonstration of the team's development during the tournament. “The game against Ukraine was proof of how much we have improved, and I am very proud of the growth of myself and all the other members of the team. I believe this experience has led us to become stronger and we will continue to build upon this experience through our training to prepare ourselves for the years to come,” concluded Shiori Kuboki.

According to the Luxembourg Curling Union, as the season comes to a close, the focus now shifts to recovery and continued training, with attention already turning to next year.