Marc Kennedy erupted at a Swedish journalist in the aftermath of Canada’s tense 8-6 triumph over Sweden at the Winter Olympics.
The veteran curler, visibly agitated by questions about his on-ice clash with Oskar Eriksson, demanded to know why he should have to justify himself to the press.
“You’ve never seen two guys have a heated argument before?” Kennedy snapped, questioning where the reporter was from.
“Like, is this a personal conversation? I don’t need to defend myself to a news reporter.”
The 2010 Olympic gold medallist made clear his frustration at being labelled a cheat.
“I don’t like being accused of cheating after 25 years on tour and four Olympic Games,” he stated.
The confrontation stemmed from allegations made by Eriksson during the match that Kennedy had violated rules by making contact with his stone after releasing it, which would create friction on the ice surface.
Marc Kennedy erupted at a Swedish journalist in the aftermath of Canada’s tense 8-6 triumph over Sweden at the Winter Olympics
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Tensions boiled over in the ninth end when Kennedy, wearing a lapel microphone as all competitors do, shouted “f*** off” at his Swedish opponent.
The outburst shocked those watching and forced the BBC to apologise to viewers for the language.
The heated exchange brought together two decorated athletes.
Sweden’s Oskar Eriksson was left furious in the curling at the Winter Olympics | SVT
Kennedy claimed gold at the 2010 Vancouver Games, whilst Eriksson holds the distinction of being the first curler in history to win four Olympic medals.
World Curling issued a statement exonerating Kennedy following the dispute.
The governing body confirmed that umpires had been alerted to concerns about secondary contact with the stone during delivery.
“Officials spoke with both teams and set game umpires at the hogline to monitor deliveries for three ends, which is the official protocol following this type of complaint,” the statement read.
“There were no hogline violations or retouches of the stone during the observation.”
Both teams had requested that officials monitor for hog line breaches throughout the contest.
Marc Kennedy has been a big talking point at the Winter Olympics
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REUTERSInternational Olympic Committee spokesman Mark Adams confirmed the IOC was aware of the fiery confrontation but indicated the organisation had no role in the matter.
Adams added that it was uncertain whether any broadcasters had lodged complaints regarding the explicit language.
Canadian lead Ben Hebert played down the significance of the altercation, framing it as tactical manoeuvring from opponents struggling with the scoreline.
“We’re friends with those guys, I’d buy them a beer any time, no problem,” Hebert said.
“We’re adults, and we’re playing a sport at the Olympic Games, and things got a little heated. They were frustrated they were losing, and we’ve been on the other side of that before … so I understand it.”
He continued: “I’ve got all the respect in the world for Oskar. He’s a great player. World champ. Olympic champ. He just was frustrated they were losing, and I’ve been there too. So no harm, no foul.”
