Winter Olympics curling cheating row escalates further after Canada caught again as VAR debate rages on
The 2026 Winter Olympics has been engulfed by an extraordinary curling scandal, transforming one of sport’s most genteel disciplines into a cauldron of accusations, profanity and international tension.
At the heart of the controversy stands Canada’s Marc Kennedy, whose stone-handling technique during a round-robin encounter with Sweden on Friday sparked allegations of rule-breaking that have since reverberated across the Cortina Curling Stadium.
Swedish vice-skip Oskar Eriksson accused his Canadian counterpart of “double-touching” — an infraction whereby a player makes contact with the granite portion of a stone after releasing it.
The accusation struck at the very core of Canadian sporting pride, given the nation’s historic dominance in curling.
Canada denied cheating in their curling match with Sweden at the Winter Olympics on Friday | SVT
What began as a dispute between two competitors has since mushroomed into a wider crisis, drawing in Team GB and prompting urgent intervention from the sport’s governing body.
The confrontation between Kennedy and Eriksson descended into a furious verbal clash, with the Canadian telling his Swedish rival to “f*** off” in full view of spectators and cameras.
Eriksson remained composed, informing Kennedy during the altercation: “I’ll show you the video after.”
True to his word, footage subsequently emerged online appearing to capture Kennedy extending a finger to touch the stone following its release.
Kennedy defended himself whilst acknowledging uncertainty about his own actions. “If somebody said to you, ‘Hey, do you double-touch all the time?’ I honestly, in that split second of a moment, I couldn’t even tell you if I did or not,” he stated.
Canada’s men’s curling squad found itself embroiled in controversy at the Winter Olympics after facing cheating allegations from multiple opponents in consecutive matches
|
GETTYThe Canadian camp alleged the entire episode had been orchestrated in advance. Kennedy suggested the Swedes had “come up with a plan here at the Olympics” to catch teams committing infractions.
Swedish broadcaster SVT confirmed their camera operator had repositioned to focus on the hog line after concerns were raised early in the match.
The scandal rapidly extended beyond the Canadian men’s team, ensnaring further competitors under the newly heightened scrutiny.
During Saturday’s fixture against Switzerland, Canadian women’s skip Rachel Homan had her stone removed after an official judged she had touched it following release.
Homan rejected the ruling emphatically. “There’s zero-per cent chance that I had committed an infringement,” she declared. “I don’t understand the call. I’ll never understand it. We’ve never done that.”
Her teammate Emma Miskew demanded officials review the decision using video evidence, but World Curling’s regulations dictate that on-ice rulings are final.
Team GB found themselves drawn into the furore on Sunday, when Scottish curler Bobby Lammie had a stone disallowed during Britain’s 9-4 victory over Germany.
Officials determined Lammie had made contact with the stone after releasing it in the ninth end.
Canadian women’s skip Rachel Homan had her stone removed after an official judged she had touched it following release
|
GETTY
British skip Bruce Mouat accepted the decision without protest, with his side remaining on course for Thursday’s semi-finals.
World Curling responded to the escalating crisis by deploying two additional officials to monitor stone deliveries during Saturday and Sunday’s matches.
The governing body issued clarification on the regulations, stating: “During forward motion, touching the granite of the stone is not allowed. This will result in the stone being removed from play.”
However, the organisation acknowledged practical limitations in enforcement, noting it remains impossible to station an umpire at every hog line for every contest.
Crucially, World Curling confirmed it does not employ video replay technology to retrospectively adjudicate disputed incidents. On-ice officials’ judgements are treated as definitive.
Team GB captain Bruce Mouat accepted a punishment without protest
|
GETTY
From Monday, the intensified surveillance measures are set to be relaxed, with the additional umpires available only upon teams’ request rather than maintaining constant observation.
The governing body’s position on video evidence remains unchanged: decisions reached during play cannot be overturned through subsequent review of footage.
The controversy has ignited a broader debate about whether curling should embrace video replay technology akin to VAR in football.
Such a move would overturn more than a century of tradition in one of the Winter Olympics’ founding sports.
Swedish curler Johanna Heldin expressed reservations about technological intervention. “If they bring that in, I think it probably disrupts the speed of play,” she said. “We’ve always been a game that tries to play by the rules and have that high sportsmanship level, so hopefully we can figure that back out.”
Canada’s curling team raged at the decision by the judges
|
GETTY
American competitors Tara and Tabitha Peterson offered a contrasting perspective. “There’s instances where an instant replay would be huge,” Tara argued, with her sister adding: “There’s already a lot of other sports that do it.”
The debate will persist long after the Milan-Cortina Games conclude, with curlers facing unprecedented examination as the Olympic medal contests enter their decisive phase.
