New opportunities for leading curlers not currently involved in the full-time British programme look set to be created by the introduction of mixed doubles into the next Winter Olympics.

The development was welcomed yesterday by Graeme Thompson, Scottish and British Curling's performance director and he expressed particular excitement at the potential this decision has to open up to the rest of the country a sport at which Britain has exclusively been represented by Scots in the past.

"This opens up a new route to the Olympics for present programme players and those not presently on the programme," he said.

"It opens up opportunities across Great Britain as England and Wales, along with Scotland, have competed at the World Mixed doubles Championships in recent years."

Thompson, who is keen to expand the pool of players available for selection for the professional programme, also believes those taking part are likeliest to come from outside the current squad of around 30 professional male and female players because of the different strategies required in what is a very different form of the sport.

"We envisage that certainly for the two seasons leading into the Olympics, players need to focus on one or other of curling," he said.

"They are very distinctively different forms of the sport, furthermore the curling competition schedule is expanding all the time and no doubt the mixed doubles schedule will as well meaning it will be too hectic to try and do both."

Thompson also welcomed the surprise news that Wheelchair Curling made such a mark at Sochi last year that the International Paralympic Commitee has decided to increase the number of teams taking part at the next Winter Paralympics from 10 to 12, in line with the Olympic disciplines.

That is a particular boost for the British team since, just a year after they picked up Paralympic medals at the Sochi tournament, the Scotland team put in a disappointing performance at this year's World Championships in Finland resulting in relegation to next season's World Championship qualifying tournament.

The performance director suggested that the decision also raises questions for the World Curling Federation (WCF).

"The World Curling Federation didn't know the number of teams was being increased so it is an interesting debate now as to whether the World Champs should also move to 12 to be in line with the Paralympics," he observed.