Curling Controversy: Sweden Accuse Canada of Cheating at Winter Olympics
A heated exchange of accusations and expletives erupted during a men’s curling match between Canada and Sweden at the Winter Olympics in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, on Friday, overshadowing Canada’s 8-6 victory.
The controversy began when Sweden’s Oskar Eriksson accused Canada’s Marc Kennedy of illegally “double-touching” a stone after releasing it – making contact with the stone after it had left his hand and before it reached the hog line. Kennedy responded with a profanity-laced tirade, vehemently denying the allegations, according to multiple reports.
“I don’t like being accused of cheating after 25 years on tour and four Olympic Games,” Kennedy said, as reported by The New York Times. “So, I told him where to stick it. Because we’re the wrong team to do that to.”
Eriksson maintained that he believed Kennedy had violated the rules, stating, according to Sporting News, that he wanted “a game that is as sportsmanlike, honest and clean as possible,” and that he felt compelled to call out what he perceived as cheating. “So we call it out as soon as I see that the Canadian No 2 is, in my eyes, there poking the stone.”
The rules of curling dictate that a stone must be released from the hand before crossing the hog line. The 2026 Winter Olympics have implemented electronic handles on the stones, designed to flash red if a player maintains contact with the stone beyond the hog line, as noted in The Independent. However, curling does not currently employ video replay to review such incidents.
Sweden initially raised concerns with officials early in the match, prompting an official to monitor Canada’s deliveries at the hog line. Despite the complaints, no penalties were assessed. According to The Athletic, Sweden repeatedly voiced their concerns throughout the game, even pausing play to discuss the matter with officials, but to no avail.
Replays of the game appeared to show Kennedy making contact with the stone after releasing it, though the extent to which this contact influenced the stone’s trajectory remains unclear. World Curling has yet to issue a statement regarding the incident or any potential disciplinary action.
The exchange escalated further when Kennedy questioned Eriksson’s own conduct, referencing an incident in the previous end. “How about you walking around on my peel for the last end, dancing around the house here? How about that? Come on Oskar, just f— off,” Kennedy reportedly said, as detailed in Sporting News.