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CURLING CANADA UNDER FIRE FOR LIMITING PREGNANCY EXEMPTIONS

Curling Canada was under fire Wednesday after limiting pregnancy exemption eligibility for teams hoping to add an out-ofprovince 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, Félix 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 Curling Canada.” Details on the exemption were provided Tuesday in a Curling Canada news release that unveiled the Scotties draw. “The exemption applied only to top five teams because their ability to replace a player with someone with an equal level of ability and commitment is limited,” the release said.

BIRTH AND DEATH NOTICES

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2023-02-02T08:00:00.0000000Z

2023-02-02T08:00:00.0000000Z

https://globe2go.pressreader.com/article/282252374674048

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