Curlers tell their critics to chill

Tired of being the butt of jokes, Olympic curlers have hit back over accusations their sport is boring and requires little physical effort.

An ancient pursuit said to date back to medieval Scotland, where teams armed with brooms furiously rub the ice while screaming at an inanimate object, the sport triggers international excitement once every four years.

But curlers at the Pyeongchang Games are fed up with armchair fans likening the slow-burner sport to Valium on ice, or suggesting you don't need to be especially athletic to participate.