Scottish skip David Murdoch, who beat Canada's Kevin Martin to win this year's world championship, uses the British team's video analysis technology. (Nati Harnik/Associated Press)

Great Britain's Olympic curlers, it appears, will be allowed to use their cutting-edge technology to combat Canada's home-ice advantage in Vancouver.

The British team has beaten an attempt to block its plan to install rinkside cameras at the Vancouver Games as part of a high-tech performance-analysis system, according to a report by the London-based website Inside the Games.

VANOC, the Vancouver organizing committee, wanted to deny access to the end-zone platforms on which the British team planned to place its cameras. Footage from the cameras is fed into a computer program that analyzes such factors as ice conditions, strategy and opponent tendencies.

The technology has been used by Scottish skip David Murdoch, who beat Canada's Kevin Martin to win this year's world championship in Moncton, N.B., and will represent Great Britain at the Olympics.

According to the Inside the Games report, the British Olympic Association garnered the support of the World Curling Federation, which is based in Perth, Scotland, and got Vancouver officials to back down.

A representative from VANOC said the organizing committee would have no comment because the dispute is a World Curling Federation matter.

A request for comment from the federation wasn't immediately answered.

Dubious advantage

CBC Sports curling analyst Mike Harris downplayed the potential advantages of using the video analysis system during the Games.

"At the Olympics, I don't think it's an advantage at all," Harris said. "Any information you can get on your opponents prior to the Games would be helpful … but the teams all know each other so well that I don't know there's going to be too many surprises."

Scottish curlers have long embraced technology and research, doing such things as measuring the downward force on their brooms to try to determine optimal sweeping techniques.

David Hay, Britain's Olympic men's curling team coach, told Inside the Games that his underdog squad must explore all possible advantages when competing against the likes of Canada, the world's top-ranked curling country.

"We are a nation of 30,000 curlers playing a nation where there are a million players," Hay told the website, adding that his team's computer program, which is manufactured in Scotland, is available for purchase by anyone.

"We have to try new things to get an edge and we've a year or two lead on this."

The curling controversy isn't the first time Canada has been accused of exploiting its home advantage. Bobsleigh, luge and speedskating athletes from other countries have complained about being denied access to Olympic venues.

Under its Own The Podium initiative, Canada is aiming to top the medal standings for the first time in Vancouver.