In The Rings: World Curling chief likes the idea of embedded technology in the sport

World Curling president Beau Welling’s sporting roots took hold on the golf course. He envisions a day when the Roaring Game follows the broadcast lead of its summer sport cousin.

“Personally I like the idea of more embedded technology into either the stone itself or the scanning of stones,” Welling said. “The other benefit from doing some of this technology stuff is that we can then start incorporating it into broadcast and having more data, more presentation, of what’s actually going on.”

In a recent sit-down interview with The Canadian Press, Welling noted the many strides golf broadcasts have made in recent years, including graphics of shot trajectory, spin data, ball altitude and swing speed.

He foresees something similar for curling in the future.

“It brought a whole other element of people into watching the sport and I think this is ripe to do that,” he said. “We don’t have the capital that golf has so I think we’re trying to figure out how we go about that.”

Welling is the founder and president of Beau Welling Design, a golf course design and development company based in Greenville, S.C. He was elected to World Curling’s board in 2018 and was named federation president in 2022.

Curling technology was in the spotlight at the recent Milan Cortina Olympics due to the “Finger-Gate” controversy involving Canada’s Marc Kennedy.

Sweden’s Oskar Eriksson accused the Canadians of “double-touching'” the stone upon release during a round-robin game between the teams.

Kennedy voiced his displeasure at the accusation and added a couple F-bombs during the interaction. The moment went viral and created one of the buzz stories of the Games.

Curling does not use instant replay. The day after the Canada-Sweden game, World Curling had umpires monitor the hog lines more closely before returning to its original setup a few sessions later.

“We’re working on all this and we were real happy with ourselves to be honest that we had solved this hog-line stuff with the (electronic) handles in advance of these Games,” Welling said. “Clearly we’ve got more things to continue to address.”

The Kennedy profanity also led to questions about why a delay wasn’t used to prevent bad language from making it to air.

While mic’d-up curlers provide great insight into strategy and game dynamics for viewers, swearing can occasionally be heard on broadcasts at top events.

At the Winter Games, the Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS) produces the live international world feed for media rights-holders.

“Broadcasters may add their own commentary, studio segments, or editorial controls, including profanity delays, according to their own policies,” an OBS spokesperson said in an email. “Athlete microphones are a standard part of curling coverage to capture team communication and remain live throughout the match.

“OBS delivers the feed in real time and does not add delays or mute mics.”

The HBO Max feed in Italy, for example, aired the entire conversation between Kennedy and Eriksson and did not cut to commercial or turn off player microphones during the break.

In Canada, a replay of the game on CBC Gem did not include the discussion.

CURLING RATINGS

Curling was a ratings hit for the CBC at the Milan Cortina Olympics.

The sport was the second most-streamed event behind hockey on CBC Gem per Adobe Analytics data, a network spokesperson said via email.

About 3.1 million television viewers watched Canada’s Brad Jacobs defeat Great Britain’s Bruce Mouat in the men’s gold-medal game, per Numeris TV PPM data.

It was eighth on the network’s Top 10 list of most-watched Milan Cortina moments. The No. 1 moment was the 8.7 million viewers who watched Jack Hughes score the overtime winner in the Canada-U.S. men’s hockey final.

The CBC does not combine TV viewership with digital stream starts because they’re measured using different methodologies and technology. Combining the two data points could result in duplication, the spokesperson said.

ONTARIO CHANGES

Curling Ontario will have a new look starting May 1.

The organization, which previously covered the southern part of the province, will merge with the Northern Ontario Curling Association and the Ontario Curling Council.

In a statement, Curling Ontario said the changes will preserve history, streamline operations and serve its members better.

Northern Ontario and Ontario are expected to continue to have separate teams at national championship events.


This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 12, 2026.

Gregory Strong, The Canadian Press