CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy — A men’s curling match at the Winter Olympics descended into a heated exchange Friday, as Canadian vice-skip Marc Kennedy repeatedly used expletives after being accused of cheating by Sweden’s Oskar Eriksson. The incident occurred during Canada’s 8-6 round-robin victory over Sweden, overshadowing the competition itself.
The controversy centers around allegations of “double-touching,” a violation of curling rules where a player alters a stone’s path after releasing it. Eriksson claimed Kennedy touched the stone again with his finger after initially letting go, a claim Kennedy vehemently denied. “I don’t like being accused of cheating after 25 years on tour and four Olympic Games,” Kennedy said, according to reports. “So, I told him where to stick it. As we’re the wrong team to do that to.”
The match was briefly halted as Kennedy engaged in a heated argument with members of the Swedish team. Eriksson maintained that his intention was simply to ensure fair play. “We want a game that is as sportsmanlike, honest and clean as possible,” Eriksson said, “so we call it out as soon as I observe that the Canadian No. 2 is, in my eyes, there poking the stone.”
World Curling, the sport’s governing body, responded to the incident on Saturday with a verbal warning to Canadian team officials regarding Kennedy’s language. A statement released by World Curling indicated that “further inappropriate behavior… would result in additional sanctions,” potentially including suspension from the Games. The organization confirmed that officials had been monitoring Canada’s deliveries following the initial complaints from Sweden.
According to World Curling rules, a stone must be released from the hand before crossing the hog line, and any subsequent contact with the stone is considered a violation. While replays appeared to show Kennedy making contact with the stone after release, the organization’s rules do not allow for video review of in-game decisions. “Decisions made during a game are final,” the statement read.
Despite Sweden’s complaints, no violations were officially recorded by officials monitoring the hog line during the match. However, World Curling announced that, beginning with Saturday’s afternoon session, two officials will be assigned to observe deliveries in all four matches, increasing scrutiny of stone releases.
Both Canada and Sweden are scheduled to compete in afternoon matches on Saturday, with the outcome of the incident potentially influencing the remainder of the round-robin play.
