Canada's Olympic curling team has one additional 'player' over the usual number of five; that's because Canadian curler Kristie Moore is five months pregnant. Kristie Moore is said to be only the third woman to compete in the Olympic games while pregnant; she is 30 years old.

The risk of curling as a sport

Curling is a team sport played on the ice; it is similar to lawn bowling. Players take turns to push polished granite stones down the ice towards the target mark (the house). Curling is a moderately 'relaxed' sport. It has been an official sport of the Winter Olympic Games since the 1998 Winter Olympics.

Will Kristie Moore play in the curling event at Vancouver 2010?

Kristie Moore is an alternative on the Canadian curling team which means that, if things go well for the Canadians, she might not actually ever get to compete in the competition; however, her team leader, Cheryl Bernard says even if she did:

“...she is young and fit. There's no reason we'll have problems, and she'll be out there.”

Should women compete in sports when pregnant?

A lot of women work until the final weeks of pregnancy, some in highly stressful jobs. Some sports are more competitive than others; curling does not involve a lot of 'pushing and shoving' or exposure to 'extreme risk'.

However, the health of the baby and mother is always the number one priority and should there be any risk to either, Kristie Moore would most likely be not competing. Kristie Moore is not the first woman to compete in the Olympics while pregnant; in the 1920's, Magda Julin, a Swedish figure skater won a gold medal at the Antwerp Olympics, during her first trimester of pregnancy. In addition, German Diana Sartor, was placed fourth in skeleton in 2006, when she was also pregnant.

CopyrightSharonFalsetto2010