Manawatu Standard

Drunker curlers on thin ice

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A Canadian curling team featuring an Olympic champion have been kicked out of a tournament for getting ‘‘extremely drunk’’.

Ryan Fry, a gold medallist at the 2014 Winter Olympics, and his team-mates Jamie Koe, Chris Schille, and DJ Kidby were forced to forfeit their final match at the Red Deer Curling Classic after complaints from opponents and fans.

‘‘They went out to curl and they were extremely drunk and breaking brooms and swearing and just unacceptab­le behaviour that nobody wants to watch or hear or listen to and it was just ‘enough was enough’,’’ facility manager Wade Thurber told CBC Sports.

‘‘There was some damage in the locker room and other teams complainin­g about their stuff being kicked around in the locker room. So at the end of the day, it was like ‘OK, that’s enough of this gong show.’ The committee for the bonspiel collective­ly decided that we needed to remove them from the spiel for this year and what happens down the road, I’m not sure yet.’’

Fry told CBS Sports it was a lapse in judgment. ‘‘I came to the event to play and enjoy the sport. My actions were truly disrespect­ful and embarrassi­ng – the committee was right to disqualify us from play.

‘‘I allowed myself to lose control and I offended people with my actions. I wish nothing more than to apologise to everyone individual­ly.’’

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