A heated dispute over double-touching rules has overshadowed curling at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, starting with accusations between Canada and Sweden. The incident led to stones being removed from play and prompted temporary changes in officiating protocols. Curlers from various nations have described the uproar as exaggerated, emphasizing the sport's tradition of self-regulation.
The controversy erupted on February 13 during the men's round-robin match between Canada and Sweden in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy. Sweden's Oskar Eriksson accused Canada's Marc Kennedy of double-touching his stone—contacting the granite part after release beyond the hog line—claiming it was not the first instance. Kennedy denied the infraction vehemently, telling Eriksson to "f*** off" in a tense exchange captured on video. Canada still won the game 8-6.
The following day, February 14, an umpire ruled that Canada's Rachel Homan had double-touched a stone in the women's match against Switzerland, leading to its removal from play. Canada lost 7-8. Later, Great Britain's Bobby Lammie faced a similar call, with his stone burned. World Curling clarified the rule: "During forward motion, touching the granite of the stone is not allowed. This will result in the stone being removed from play."
In response, officials initially deployed umpires to monitor deliveries across the four sheets on February 15, a significant shift for a sport known for its honor-based self-officiating. After protests from teams and national Olympic committees, the protocol was adjusted that evening: umpires would only intervene upon request from competing teams, monitoring for a minimum of three ends. No video replay is used in curling, and decisions remain final.
Veteran curlers have downplayed the incidents. Team USA's Korey Dropkin, a mixed doubles silver medalist, called the scandal "bigger than it needs to be," defending Kennedy as one of the sport's greats who plays by the rules. "Throughout the last few seasons, truly there's been a lot of athletes that have done this, and it hasn't really been brought up," Dropkin said. Swiss curler Alina Paetz echoed this, noting it's "not allowed" but "a bigger thing than it actually is" due to Olympic emotions.
Canadian curler Marc Kennedy lamented the impact on curling's spirit: "The whole spirit of curling is dead, unfortunately. We just trust that the people around us aren't trying to cheat." Sweden's coach Fredrik Lindberg said similar issues arose last year at world championships but gained attention here due to the Olympic stage. Curling Canada CEO Nolan Thiessen viewed it positively: "At the end of the day, it shines a little extra light on the sport."
Local curlers in the U.S., like North Dakota's Ryan Lagasse, described it as "blown this out of proportion," with no game advantage gained. The episode highlights curling's evolution amid growing popularity, potentially requiring clearer rules without eroding its culture of trust.
