HOW IT WORKS

The teams have been cut in two, and the men and women are paired together in this jazzed-up version of the Roaring Game.

Rules: Two players, instead of four, compete with five stones per end, instead of eight. There are eight ends instead of 10, but the scoring is the same as in conventional curling. The major difference is the positioning of two stones, one per team, that are set on the ice before the beginning of each end — giving the game a running start.

Who’s hot: Canada is always a favourite on the world scene and is well represented here with Kaitlyn Lawes and John Morris joining forces in this new event. Lawes was part of the gold medal team skipped by Jennifer Jones in Sochi 2014. Morris won gold alongside skip Kevin Martin at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.