George Clifton Thompson (August 8, 1913 – June 3, 2008) was a president of the

International Curling Federation The World Curling Federation (WCF) is the world governing body for curling accreditation, with offices in Perth, Scotland. It was formed out of the International Curling Federation (ICF), when the push for Olympic Winter Sport status was made. ...

. Born in

Brandon, Manitoba Brandon () is the second-largest city in the province of Manitoba, Canada. It is located in the southwestern corner of the province on the banks of the Assiniboine River, approximately west of the provincial capital, Winnipeg, and east of the ...

, he started

curling Curling is a sport in which players slide stones on a sheet of ice toward a target area which is segmented into four concentric circles. It is related to bowls, boules, and shuffleboard. Two teams, each with four players, take turns sliding ...

when he was fifteen. Thompson was President of the Kapuskasing Curling Club, a member of the Northern Ontario School committee and chairman of School Boys Curling Committee (now Junior curling). As a vice-president of the Canadian Curling Association he was involved in finding a new sponsor for the

Brier Briar, Briars, Brier, or Briers may refer to: * Briar, or brier, common name for a number of unrelated thorny plants that form thicket People * Brier (surname) * Briers, a surname * Briars (surname) Places * Briar, Missouri, U.S. * Bri ...

and new formats for television coverage of curling events. As president of the Canadian Curling Association, Thompson took part in relocating its headquarters from Winnipeg to Ottawa and helped to establish scholarships for young curlers. Thompson was a life member of the Canadian Curling Association, a member of the Governor General’s Curling Club, a recipient of the

Canadian Curling Hall of Fame The Canadian Curling Hall of Fame was established with its first inductees in 1973. It is operated by Curling Canada, the governing body for curling in Canada, in Orleans, Ontario. The Hall of Fame selection committee meets annually to choose induc ...

’s Builder’s Award and recipient of a 1982 Ontario Special Achievement Award for "Major Contribution to Amateur Sport". As President of the

for three years, he was instrumental in increasing ladies’ involvement, and in changing fee structure for television rights and future hosts of upcoming events. He presented to the World’s Olympic Organization and the 1988 Olympic committee to admit curling as a demonstration sport in the Calgary Olympics. Thompson moved to

Stroud Stroud is a market town and civil parish in Gloucestershire, England. It is the main town in Stroud District. The town's population was 13,500 in 2021. Below the western escarpment of the Cotswold Hills, at the meeting point of the Five ...

in 1979 and in 1980 along with Floyd Bean made a presentation to the

Stroud Curling Club Stroud is a market town and civil parish in Gloucestershire, England. It is the main town in Stroud District. The town's population was 13,500 in 2021. Below the western escarpment of the Cotswold Hills, at the meeting point of the Five Val ...

Board to request ice time for fourteen interested senior curlers. This number was not considered sufficient to warrant ice time but in April 1981, permission was given to create a league for senior curlers using the sheets of ice not needed by the Thursday Morning Ladies’ League. In 1986 there were enough curlers, fifty-five years and older to fill three sheets of ice. Ten years later the draws were full and the committee was forced to adopt a two-draw format. The league used and continues to use the jitney format for forming teams. The league’s philosophy encouraged the recreational value of the sport of curling, and the development of curling skills while helping one another enjoy the game itself. The mini-spiel format was introduced, allowing players from both draws to compete in two four end games. Thompson promoted all aspect of curling; the skills, the rules, and the etiquette as well as the camaraderie. Thompson and his wife, Helen, operated a curling clinic to assist curlers of all levels become more confident in their abilities. Thompson was a club director for three years and acted as Honorary Chairman of the Masters and Colts Provincial Competition hosted by the Stroud Curling Club in 1995. In 1997 the Senior League at the Stroud Curling club officially became the ‘Clif Thompson Senior Curlers’ League. Thompson died in 2008; a permanent tribute to him is located on the Stroud Curling Club wall.

References

* The History of the Stroud Curling Club 1910-2003, R. Flegel, N. Flood and D.Wice Writing Team * www.stroudcurling.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Thompson, G. Clifton 1913 births 2008 deaths Sportspeople from Brandon, Manitoba Curlers from Manitoba Curling Canada presidents