CORTINA D'AMPEZZO, Italy, Feb 8 (Reuters) - 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.
The initiative was led by World Curling's Technical Commission, chaired by board member David Sik.
"I'm also from the Czech Republic, so it was easy for me to sit with those guys, those engineers and scientists in the laboratories," Sik told Reuters.
"We discussed a lot, because of course they are engineers and they know their job but they don't know nothing about curling! We had to merge our knowledge."
CURLING CULTURE
Curling has always prided itself on being an honour-based sport, with players calling their own fouls.
Asked if the introduction of the technology went against that culture, Sik said it was just intended to make the highest level of the sport fairer.
"The top, top athletes are playing for the results and medals, but 99% of players play for fun and they love the sport," he added.
"Usually, we don't need the umpires so much, because there is always an agreement between the skips and teams on how to play the game and how to behave."
For split-second violations that human eyes struggle to catch, the flashing lights provide crucial clarity.
"Everything is done in milliseconds and you have to make a decision on whether the athlete was still touching the handle or not," he said.
"Sometimes it's difficult to recognise and maybe the player doesn't feel it, and these are situations which are difficult to resolve between the players.
"We would like to use these technologies to help them, to avoid uncomfortable situations."
(Reporting by Aadi Nair; editing by Clare Fallon)
