Curling-Electronic handles are a hit at Milano Cortina Games

CORTINA D'AMPEZZO, Italy, Feb 8 : Curlers have welcomed the introduction of electronic handles on the stones at the Winter Olympics which can automatically detect and flag hog line violations, saying the technology makes the genteel sport fairer than ever.

The stones are armed with blue lights when ready, which flash green for legal throws and red when players release too late past the hog line - the point where curlers must let go during delivery.

Each stone's handle is fitted with a touch sensor, which interacts with a magnetic strip embedded in the ice.

"We have used them sometimes at important competitions so, yes, we are used to them," Italy's mixed doubles champion Stefania Constantini said.

"It's good to have them so everybody is the same, everybody has to be aware of what they are doing, because it's a curling rule."

American curler Korey Dropkin, who along with mixed doubles partner Cory Thiesse won the world championships in 2023, said it was great to have a reliable system.

"I think it's great that they've really fine-tuned the technology. It's definitely something that's part of the sport, we needed to lock in that hog line," he added.

PREVIOUS ATTEMPTS

The Milano Cortina Games are the first to feature the handles, after previous attempts at detecting violations failed.

The technology was not used at the Beijing Games in 2022 due to battery compartment issues, forcing a return to curling's traditional honour system where players call their own violations.

In the build-up to the Games, World Curling partnered with engineers from the Czech Technical University in Prague and Czech company InoSens CZ to develop the technology, and it was tested during last year's European Championships and Olympic Qualification Event.

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