Bavarian curling or Icestock Sport was most likely played much before the 16th century, but the earliest evidence of the sport being practiced appeared on a painting by Pieter Brueghel, an artist of Dutch and Flemish Renaissance painting. It took several centuries later before the sport became properly organized through the formation of the German Federation in 1934. The German national championship featured two years later. The sport was also played in other nations in Europe and by 1951, the first European Championship was held. Approximately 30 years later, Icestock sport took a major step forward with the formation of the International Federation Icestock Sport (IFI), which preceded the first World Championships in 1983 for both men and women.  

The headquarters for the federation is based in Frankfurt, Germany. There are several objectives that IFI complete each season. Apart from working very closely with every nation where the sport is played on ice, or on other surfaces during the summer, the primary objective is to represent the sport on every level. IFI act as a major support for all their affiliate members providing clear information connected to the sport. IFI oversee the standard rules and supervise and implement those during all national and international competitions, including the World Championship and World Cup contests.  

The rules of sport make provision for several disciplines. These include teams target shooting, individual target and distance shooting. The target is called the Daube and during target shooting, two teams of four players take turns in striking the target. The objective is to get your stock as near as possible to the target and points are awarded based on the proximity. Should the target leave the playing area, it is returned to the centre and play continues. With distance shooting, the objective is to slide the Icestock away as far as possible.