# Pacific-Asia Curling Championships
The Pacific-Asia Curling Championships (PACC) was an annual curling competition for women's and men's national teams from the World Curling Federation's Pacific-Asia zone, held from 1991 to 2021 and serving as the zone's qualification route to the [World Curling Championships](https://www.edgepedia.org/world-curling-championships). It began as the Pacific Curling Championships and was replaced in 2022 by the [Pan Continental Curling Championships](https://www.edgepedia.org/pan-continental-curling-championships), which merged it with the Americas Challenge.[1](https://worldcurling.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Fifty_Years_of_the_World_Curling_Federation_A_Celebration_lo-res_.pdf) • [2](https://worldcurling.org/2022/10/pccc-faq/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| First edition | Pacific Curling Championships, Sagamihara, Japan, 1991: three men's teams (Australia, Japan, New Zealand) and two women's teams (Australia, Japan)[1](https://worldcurling.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Fifty_Years_of_the_World_Curling_Federation_A_Celebration_lo-res_.pdf) |
| Governing body | Came under the World Curling Federation in 2014 after the dissolution of the Pacific Curling Federation[3](https://worldcurling.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/WCF_Annual_Review_2014_-_2015.pdf) |
| Purpose | Gateway to the World Curling Championships for the WCF's Pacific-Asia Zone[1](https://worldcurling.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Fifty_Years_of_the_World_Curling_Federation_A_Celebration_lo-res_.pdf) |
| Qualification rule | Initially the winner qualified for the World Championship; later changed to the two top-ranked teams[4](https://www.curling.org.nz/results/discontinued-and-other/pacificasia-men) |
| Record entries | 2016 event: eight women's teams and nine men's teams[1](https://worldcurling.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Fifty_Years_of_the_World_Curling_Federation_A_Celebration_lo-res_.pdf) |
| Final edition | Almaty, Kazakhstan, 6–13 November 2021[5](https://results.worldcurling.org/championship/Type/6) |
| Replacement | Pan Continental Curling Championships from the 2022–2023 season, replacing the PACC and the Americas Challenge[2](https://worldcurling.org/2022/10/pccc-faq/) |
## Origins
The championship began in 1991 as the Pacific Curling Championships, staged in [Sagamihara](https://www.edgepedia.org/sagamihara), Japan. The first men's competition drew three teams, Australia, Japan, and New Zealand, and the women's competition two, Australia and Japan. Australia won the inaugural men's title with a 4-0 record.[1](https://worldcurling.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Fifty_Years_of_the_World_Curling_Federation_A_Celebration_lo-res_.pdf) • [6](https://curling.org.au/pacific-asia-curling-championships-results-men-and-women/)
Although small in scale, the event carried strategic weight for the World Curling Federation: it allowed the WCF to demonstrate that championship-level curling was taking place in Asia and [Australasia](https://www.edgepedia.org/australasia) during its quest for Olympic recognition.[1](https://worldcurling.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Fifty_Years_of_the_World_Curling_Federation_A_Celebration_lo-res_.pdf)
## Growth and organization
Participation grew steadily over three decades. By 2012, when the event was held in Naseby, New Zealand, 13 teams took part, seven men's and six women's.[7](https://worldcurling.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/WCF_Annual_Review_2012-2013.pdf) The 2016 entries set a record for the era, with eight women's teams and nine men's teams.[1](https://worldcurling.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Fifty_Years_of_the_World_Curling_Federation_A_Celebration_lo-res_.pdf)
**Organizational change came in 2014.** The event came under the wing of the World Curling Federation that year following the dissolution of the Pacific Curling Federation, which had previously run it.[3](https://worldcurling.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/WCF_Annual_Review_2014_-_2015.pdf) The 2015 edition in Almaty, Kazakhstan, at the Baluan Sholak Sports Palace, was the first WCF championship hosted in that country. Five women's teams and eight men's teams competed; in the women's gold medal final Japan beat Korea by 8-7, and both Japan and Korea qualified for the 2016 World Women's Championship in Swift Current, Canada.[8](https://worldcurling.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/WCF_Annual_Review_2015_2016.pdf)
Hosts over the years reflected the zone's spread: editions were held in Japan, China, Korea, Australia, New Zealand, and [Kazakhstan](https://www.edgepedia.org/kazakhstan), including Shanghai in 2013, Karuizawa in 2014, Erina in 2017, Gangneung in 2018, Shenzhen in 2019, and Almaty in 2021.[5](https://results.worldcurling.org/championship/Type/6)
## Qualification role
The championship's central function was to qualify Pacific-Asia teams for the World Curling Championships. Initially the winner qualified; this was later changed to the two top-ranked teams.[4](https://www.curling.org.nz/results/discontinued-and-other/pacificasia-men) At the 2012 event, the top two finishers in each competition qualified their Member Associations for the respective World Championship events, enabling them to earn Olympic Winter Games qualification points.[7](https://worldcurling.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/WCF_Annual_Review_2012-2013.pdf) For New Zealand, the Pacific-Asia Championships were the qualification pathway to the World Championships before the Pan Continental Championships were introduced.[9](https://www.curling.org.nz/results/world-curling-events/about-wcf-events)
## Replacement
The final edition was held in Almaty, Kazakhstan, from 6 to 13 November 2021.[5](https://results.worldcurling.org/championship/Type/6) Following a vote by Member Associations at the 2021 General Assembly, the Pacific-Asia Curling Championships and the Americas Challenge were replaced from the 2022–2023 season by the Pan Continental Curling Championships, an annual competition for teams from both the Americas and Pacific-Asia zones with A and B divisions and a direct qualification route to the World Championships, modeled on the [European Curling Championships](https://www.edgepedia.org/european-curling-championships) format.[2](https://worldcurling.org/2022/10/pccc-faq/) The change was intended to give developing Member Associations from both zones a consistent platform for improvement while ensuring that all World Championship places are earned on the ice.[2](https://worldcurling.org/2022/10/pccc-faq/)
## References
1. [Fifty Years of the World Curling Federation: A Celebration (2016), World Curling Federation](https://worldcurling.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Fifty_Years_of_the_World_Curling_Federation_A_Celebration_lo-res_.pdf)
2. [FAQ: Pan Continental Curling Championships, World Curling (31 October 2022)](https://worldcurling.org/2022/10/pccc-faq/)
3. [World Curling Federation Annual Review 2014–2015](https://worldcurling.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/WCF_Annual_Review_2014_-_2015.pdf)
4. [Curling New Zealand – NZ at Pacific-Asia Curling Championship, Men](https://www.curling.org.nz/results/discontinued-and-other/pacificasia-men)
5. [Historical Results & Statistics: Pacific-Asia Curling Championships, World Curling results](https://results.worldcurling.org/championship/Type/6)
6. [Pacific-Asia Curling Championships Results – Men and Women, Curling Australia](https://curling.org.au/pacific-asia-curling-championships-results-men-and-women/)
7. [World Curling Federation Annual Review 2012–2013](https://worldcurling.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/WCF_Annual_Review_2012-2013.pdf)
8. [World Curling Federation Annual Review 2015–2016](https://worldcurling.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/WCF_Annual_Review_2015_2016.pdf)
9. [Curling New Zealand – About WCF Events](https://www.curling.org.nz/results/world-curling-events/about-wcf-events)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Other team and ball sports › Racket and precision ball sports › Racket and precision ball sports › Precision-aim and throwing sports (bowling, darts, curling, boules) › Curling › Curling championships and events › Pacific-Asia and Pan Continental curling championships*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 11, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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