A frightening fall in a Canadian men's curling event has sparked concerns about safety in the sport.
Brad Gushue fell face first on the ice, leaving behind a pool of blood and sending Gushue to hospital for stitches before he returned to a game on Saturday at the Masters in Nova Scotia.
Mom Lisa Rogers who was watching her 10-year-old daughter Adria curl on Sunday at St. Vital Curling Club said she's surprised kids don't have to wear some kind of protective headgear while curling.
She said she doesn't make her daughter wear one because none of the other kids do.
Rogers said with concerns about concussion in other sports it may be time for curling to look at introducing helmets in the sport for kids.
While helmets aren't mandated in Manitoba at least one club has already started making kids wear them in Thompson, according to Curl Manitoba executive director Craig Baker.
Baker said kids between 5 and 9 years old at the Burntwood Curling Club wear anything from hockey helmets to bicycle helmets when they play. He said the program's organizers made the decision on their own.
Baker said Gushue's fall will likely result in discussion about improving protocols for when a curler can return to the game after suffering a head injury.
Baker said curling is a game steeped in tradition and any move to mandate helmets likely won't happen overnight.
