Bold claim: cheating allegations stirred a curling showdown at the Winter Olympics, turning a usually calm sport into a heated controversy. Two of the sport’s top men’s teams, Sweden and Canada, clashed in a contentious match that drew intense scrutiny and sparked memorable on-ice tempers.
By News Agencies
Published On 14 Feb 2026
The serene world of curling got noisy and tense during the Olympic round-robin when accusations of rule-bending and the sound of heated language punctuated the game between two elite teams.
Canada’s Marc Kennedy felt blindsided by a charge from Swedish rival Oskar Eriksson that Kennedy had “double-touching” — essentially touching the stone again after it had been released down the sheet — during Canada’s 8-6 victory late on Friday.
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Kennedy vehemently denied the accusations, continuing to use expletives to assert that he had not broken any rules. The dispute caused a temporary pause as fingers pointed across the ice and Kennedy argued with members of the Swedish team.
“I don’t like being accused of cheating after 25 years on tour and four Olympic Games,” the 44-year-old Kennedy said.
“So,” he added, “I told him where to stick it. Because we’re the wrong team to do that to.”
Eriksson contended that his aim was simply to ensure fair play.
“We want a game that is as sportsmanlike, honest and clean as possible,” he said, “so we call it out as soon as I see that the Canadian No 2 is, in my eyes, poking the stone.”
The applicable rule states that a stone must be delivered using the handle on top of the rock and released before reaching the hog line, the thick green line at each end of the sheet. Replays appeared to show Kennedy releasing with the handle and then touching the stone again with a stretched finger as it neared the hog line.
In the early stages of the game, Sweden alerted officials to their concerns. An official stood at the hog line to monitor the Canadians, but no formal action was taken. Curling does not employ video replays for decisions.
World Curling did not impose sanctions on either team.
