28 February 2025
World Curling and Goldline suspend use of Pursuer foam in competition
Following close consultation, World Curling and Goldline Curling have mutually agreed to suspend the approval of Goldline’s Pursuer foam from competitive play.
While the product meets all World Curling equipment specifications and was originally approved for use, further on-ice testing provided evidence that it exceeds the limits outlined in the World Curling Statement of Principles for Competition Equipment.
With this new information, Goldline have voluntarily withdrawn Pursuer foam from competitive use in the best interest of fairness and maintaining the integrity of the sport.
Colin Grahamslaw, World Curling Secretary General said, “Following concerns raised with us and the provision by some athletes of video evidence we contacted Goldline. They were unequivocal in their response that the Pursuer foam should be withdrawn pending further investigation.
“We thank them for their collaboration in this process. We also thank those players who have committed time and effort into understanding what was going on. Agreeing to suspend equipment approval comes with a significant impact to a manufacturer and World Curling wishes to acknowledge Goldline’s collaboration in this matter and their commitment to providing quality equipment for the world’s best curling athletes.”
The Pursuer foam will be removed from the World Curling Approved Code List with immediate effect, however, all results to date where Pursuer foam was used remain valid, and all other previously approved Goldline equipment remain within specification and available for competitive play.
As events around the world may also be underway, they may complete their championship using the Approved Code List that was valid when the event began. This withdrawal will only take effect for those events that have yet to begin play as of 01 March 2025 00:00 Universal Coordinated Time (UTC).
Pete Townshend, Goldline Curling CEO said, “From the outset, we have advocated for rigorous testing, transparency, and a level playing field. While our Pursuer foam meets all technical specifications, additional testing has demonstrated that it crosses an unintended threshold of performance. We believe the right thing to do is to voluntarily withdraw it from competition and lead by example in prioritising fair play.
“This situation clearly highlights that technical compliance alone is not always sufficient, and that performance outcomes must also be considered. Given this, we believe further steps will be needed to ensure all equipment aligns with the fundamental principles of fairness and consistency, and we encourage World Curling to continue evaluating all sweeping technology with this in mind.”
This process has reinforced the need for continuous evaluation of equipment standards, as even the most carefully designed regulations cannot always anticipate new technological developments.
World Curling continue to closely collaborate with our Athlete Commission, the athlete community, manufacturers and the academic community to ensure that all sweeping equipment and techniques being used in our sport meets the approved specifications and guarantees a fair playing field for all competitors.
