WCF

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Recorded Aug 25, 2026

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Recorded Aug 22, 2026

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Recorded May 13, 2026

Foundational equipment-rule action that defined modern sweeping technique. After the 2015-16 season's "broom-gate" controversy — directional-fabric broom heads (such as those using woven polyester or specialized synthetic fabrics) had produced extreme directional-sweeping advantages, allowing skilled sweepers to dramatically alter rock paths in ways the rules had not anticipated — the WCF temporarily banned the new broom heads mid-season and then, from 2016 onward, standardized to a single approved brush-head specification for all WCF-sanctioned competitive play. The standardization neutralized the equipment arms-race that had emerged and remains the operative broom-head specification today.

Recorded May 8, 2026

Most consequential modern strategic-rule change in elite curling. The WCF formally adopted the five-rock free guard zone rule in 2017 (effective the 2018-19 season), expanding the prior four-rock rule that had stood since the early 1990s. Under the new rule, the first five rocks of an end cannot be removed by takeouts (rather than the prior four), preserving more rocks in play during the early stones and amplifying the importance of rock-positioning strategy. The change increased average scoring per end and is the operative WCF rule today across all formats.

Recorded May 8, 2026

WCF-sanctioned mixed doubles curling — a faster-paced two-player-per-team format with an 8-end match length and pre-positioned stones — was introduced as a medal event at the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, expanding the Olympic curling program to three disciplines (men's, women's, mixed doubles). The event had existed at the World Mixed Doubles Curling Championship level since 2008 but 2018 marked its elevation to the Olympic medal program. Expanded the medal-event portfolio and provided a less-time-intensive format for federations with smaller curling programs.

Recorded May 8, 2026

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Recorded Mar 22, 2026