Curling Canada was under fire Wednesday after limiting pregnancy exemption eligibility for teams hoping to add an out-of-province free agent at the national playdowns to just the top five rinks in the rankings.
The exemption would allow a team to use a replacement player at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts even if the athlete didn't play in the provincial/territorial championship or meet residency requirements.
However, the decision meant 13 of the 18 teams that qualified for the Feb. 17-26 event in Kamloops, B.C., could not apply to make similar lineup changes if needed.
Several prominent curlers — including Olympian Dawn McEwen, Mike McEwen, Felix Asselin and Beth Peterson — criticized the eligibility rule on social media. "Timing a pregnancy can be stressful and difficult for a lot of women athletes," Dawn McEwen said on Twitter. "A rule that discriminates against some women competing in the same national field is troubling. "Please give everyone the same opportunity @CurlingCanada." Timing a pregnancy can be stressful and difficult for a lot of women athletes.