Wheelchair curler, 89, is banned by the club he founded
IT is traditionally regarded as a friendly sport, in which tempers rarely flare.
But a Scottish curling club has found itself in the midst of a furious row after the man who founded it was banned.
John Stevenson, 89, was barred from Greenacres Curling Club after attempting to access the ice on his wheelchair.
The pensioner, who once coached Scottish Olympic curling champion Rhona Martin, was warned not to go onto the ice by Richard Harding, current owner of the rink in Howwood, Renfrewshire.
When he ignored the warning, he was told he was no longer welcome on the premises.
His son Matthew, 63, who was manager at the club for 20 years, said: ‘To ban somebody that led the club and then did so much for curling in Scotland is disgusting and draconian.
‘He devoted his life to curling. My mother passed away two years ago. It got him out of the house.
‘Back in the day, my dad was a curler of some repute. He changed the face of curling in the UK.
‘He set up Greenacres in 1979, built it himself and had about 2,000 members. It was very, very successful.’
He told how his father would offer games to youngsters at only £1 apiece to help make the rink a springboard for new talent.
Mr Stevenson Snr was still curling until a year ago, but eventually had to give it up as he suffers from bone cancer and cannot walk unaided.
He had hoped to be able to continue to enjoy the sport in his wheelchair.
But according to the club, which he sold in 1999, this would be a health and safety risk to himself and others. The club website, however, says it has recently undergone refurbishment to make it ‘fully accessible’ to wheelchair users.
Wheelchair curling is a widely accepted version of the winter sport, which was first recorded in 16th century Scotland.
In a letter to Mr Stevenson Jnr, Mr Harding wrote: ‘I spoke to you on the phone a few weeks ago in regard to the prospect of him curling from a wheelchair and explained that this was not possible due to the fact that it was extremely likely that injury or worse would occur to him.
‘I am therefore very disappointed to hear he appeared at Greenacres with a wheelchair to curl when I specifically said he should not.
‘I am under a legal obligation to ensure that Greenacres complies with the required standards of health and safety. By paying no attention to my appointed staff, he cannot any longer attend Greenacres.
‘Just to be clear, that means he should no longer come to Greenacres at any time. Please confirm receipt of this letter. Please also confirm that you will accept the terms I have laid down and that you will explain these to your father.’
Mr Stevenson Jnr, of Erskine, Renfrewshire, said: ‘I understand that the owner was annoyed about him taking his chair onto the rink.
‘He tried to go on the ice but stopped when a member of staff told him not to.
‘He was banned for no reason at all, which is really sad. They said it was because of health and safety – which is a load of rubbish.’
‘No one in the world of curling has done more for the sport. The club wouldn’t be there if it wasn’t for him.’
The elder Mr Stevenson has been hailed as a legend in the world of curling and even helped propel Scottish curlers to Olympic glory. His club led countless players to national and international championship wins, including Mrs Martin.
The Scottish team, led by Mrs Martin, secured Great Britain’s first Winter Games gold medals since ice skating stars Torvill and Dean in 1984 after defeating Switzerland in the 2002 Winter Olympics.
No one from the club was last night available for comment.
‘It wouldn’t be there but for him’