World Curling sweeps Broomgate 2.0 away with new ruling ahead of Olympic year
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After months of controversy, World Curling has made a decision to entirely ban firmer broom foams that many players said gave sweepers too much control of the rocks that were being thrown.
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Just in time for the Olympic year ahead.
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'Following the challenges throughout the 2024-2025 season of the reported over-effectiveness of several brush-head constructions, World Curling are updating the sweeping equipment compliance regulations for the Olympic season — effective immediately,' World Curling said in a statement Friday.
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Most players in the curling world are on board with the rule because it's creating a level playing field amongst the curling teams, but allowing the emphasis of the game to be focused on the person with the rock.
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Rather than the technology of the broom heads hogging the spotlight of each curling shot, the ruling ensures the talent of the shot-makers is shining through.
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'It's a common solution that creates the game that everyone wants,' Team Jacobs and five-time Olympic coach Paul Webster said. 'I think what the fans need to understand is the athletes want this. They don't want a foam or a fabric like we used to have that ends up with kind of what we refer to as 'remote-control rocks.'
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'They want it to come down to who are the best curlers on the planet. So if it's 90% shooting and 10% sweeping, then great. I just think last year or so, there's been too much involvement of the sweepers.'
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Some say the decision should've come sooner, given the issues the new technology presented during the most recent season.
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But World Curling waited until season's end — a fair timeline so as not to interfere with the integrity of the 2024-25 schedule — to put into play a covert session with invited athletes, manufacturers and ice experts of the curling world.
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It was a lab — of sorts — to measure the impact of the broom heads in question, with World Curling describing the extensive consultation as being staged in a 'highly co-operative atmosphere.'
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'The time allowed in-depth discussions to take place on how the effectiveness of sweeping could be maintained at a level the athlete community agreed was in line with the established principles of sweeping,' World Curling said in a statement. 'The updated regulations ensure that the foams used in the component-style brushes have their minimum compression specification increased to a higher percentage, allowing only the less-firm category of foams to be used.
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