A 'double-touching' controversy is widening at the Winter Olympics curling, with a stone removed from the British men's team for the same alleged violation that hit Canadian teams, prompting increased surveillance and a debate over video replays.
The Winter Olympics curling competition is embroiled in a growing controversy over 'double-touching' violations. On Sunday, a stone thrown by the British men’s team was removed during their game against Germany, after officials accused Scottish curler Bobby Lammie of touching the stone after releasing it, a breach of rules. This incident follows similar allegations made against the Canadian men’s and women’s teams earlier in the competition. In response to the escalating issue, World Curling has increased surveillance, designating additional officials to monitor matches, though it's not feasible to have umpires at every hog line for all games. The intensified scrutiny has raised nerves among curlers, with some noting that the 'double-touching' infraction has never been called with such frequency or intensity in past competitions, making it difficult to ascertain guilt. The controversy has also sparked a debate among Olympic curlers regarding the potential introduction of video replays for adjudicating disputes, with opinions split between those who believe it would ensure fairness and others who fear it would disrupt the pace of play and the sport's traditional high level of sportsmanship.
