Canadian Curling Team Removed From Competition For Being ‘Extremely Drunk’
Canadian curlers Jamie Koe, Ryan Fry, Chris Schille, and DJ Kidby were eliminated from the Red Deer Curling Classic in Red Deer, Alberta, on Sunday after opponents and spectators complained of “unacceptable behavior” from the team that included being “extremely drunk.” The team has also been disqualified from all Red Deer Curling Classic events, CBC Sports reported.
Wade Thurber, facility manager of the Pidherney Curling Centre, told the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation that the team was on the ice, visibly drunk, breaking brooms and swearing, resulting in complaints from spectators. Other teams also complained that their personal belongings were kicked around in the locker room.
“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,” Thurber said.
Following the incident, a sign was posted on the door of the arena to assure attendees that the team will no longer be allowed in events at the curling center. Several spectators took photos of the sign and shared it on social media, thanking the Red Deer Curling Classic Committee for their decision.
“We did that because we had so many complaints from other players and teams, not to mention the spectators, and so we wanted them to know that we did something about it,” said Thurber.
On Sunday afternoon, the curling foursome of Jamie Koe, Ryan Fry, Chris Schille, and DJ Kidby got kicked out of the Red Deer Curling Classic in Alberta, in part because they were “extremely drunk.” >>https://t.co/RQGwzbF2WB pic.twitter.com/fvH5SFv4Ig
— Tribune-Review Sports (@TribSports) November 19, 2018
The World Curling Tour later confirmed on Twitter that the team had been ejected for “unsportsmanlike behavior.”
The tweet also said that the four curlers were forced to forfeit their final match in the World Curling Tour event.
Earlier that day, an account for Koe’s team on Twitter posted a photo of the team sitting with eight beer bottles. The caption called the foursome “#TeamCorona2.0.” The tweet has since been deleted, according to USA Today.
One of the team members, Ryan Fry, was a member of the curling team that won gold during the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. He was reportedly filling an open spot on captain Koe’s team for the event in Red Deer. Fry is normally a third on Brad Jacobs’ team.
The gold medalist apologized to attendees of the event and the tournament organizers in a statement to CBC Sports.
“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,” Fry said.
He also said that he will take action to ensure that this issue never occurs again and he will continue to positively contribute to curling, Mashable reported.
