Scottish curling is merely treating Eve Muirhead as British Cycling did Sir Chris Hoy in denying her the chance to defend her world curling title next year, it has been claimed.
As The Courier revealed, the sport’s governing body in Scotland, the Royal Caledonian Curling Club, have ruled the team representing GB in the Winter Olympics certain to be Team Muirhead will not be allowed to compete in the Scottish Championships, the winners of which will go to the worlds.
The same applies to the men.
The decision has the backing of UK Sport, sportscotland and the British Olympic Association but has caused uproar in the curling community and left Muirhead and her team-mates heartbroken.
British Curling’s performance director, Dave Crosbee, insisted the sport is going down a route travelled by the likes of cycling and rowing.
He said: “Chris Hoy has not gone to a World Championships or a European Championships straight after an Olympics.
“British Cycling does exactly the same thing as this. They have copped flak for it but they wanted to blood cyclists with a view to strengthening the pool of talent for the next Olympics in four years’ time.
“British Rowing have done something similar and sent experimental teams post-Olympics.
“There are two main reasons for what we’re doing.
“The first is we want to ensure whichever athletes get selection for the Winter Olympics, they focus really hard on the games.
“And at the same time, we wanted to have a bigger talent pool for the good of the sport.”
Robbie Scott is a recent past president of the RCCC and spoke passionately against the decision at the body’s recent AGM.
“This is an absolute shambles,” he said. “It has made Scotland the laughing stock of world curling.
“The RCCC are basically being dictated to by the funding bodies. It would be like not giving Andy Murray the chance to defend Wimbledon.”
Muirhead said: “We’re absolutely gutted. If we’d lost the Scottish and not gone to the worlds, we’d have taken that on the chin. But to not even get the chance is really hard to take.
“It will be gut-wrenching to watch another team play.”