A heated dispute over alleged double-touching in a men's curling match between Canada and Sweden has sparked controversy at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy. The incident led to rule clarifications, increased officiating, and subsequent violations called on players from Canada and Great Britain. World Curling has since adjusted its monitoring protocols amid debates on sportsmanship and technology.
The controversy began on February 13, 2026, during the men's curling round-robin session at Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium. Canada defeated Sweden 8-6, but tensions escalated in the ninth end when Swedish curler Oskar Eriksson accused Canadian third Marc Kennedy of double-touching the stone—releasing the handle past the hog line but then touching the granite, which is prohibited under World Curling rules. Kennedy responded with expletives, telling Eriksson, "You can f*** off," captured on a hot mic and streamed live.
Swedish skip Niklas Edin claimed the violation was intentional, stating, "You don't touch 20kg of granite with your fingertips without feeling it, it's completely impossible." Kennedy denied cheating, saying, "I've curled my whole life, never once with the intention of getting an advantage through cheating," though he acknowledged, "I could have handled it better." World Curling issued a verbal warning to Kennedy for his language and clarified rules: "During forward motion, touching the granite of the stone is not allowed. This will result in the stone being removed from play."
Video footage from Swedish broadcaster SVT, filmed from the stands with Olympic Broadcasting Service approval, showed Kennedy's finger lingering on the stone, fueling online debate. In response, World Curling introduced heightened monitoring on February 14, with umpires observing deliveries across sheets.
This led to violations: On February 14, Canadian women's skip Rachel Homan had her first stone removed against Switzerland in an 8-7 loss; she called the call "insane" and denied intent. On February 15, Great Britain's Bobby Lammie suffered the same in a 9-4 win over Germany. Players expressed frustration, with Homan noting, "There's zero percent chance of the violation."
After complaints from teams, World Curling met with national federations and reversed course on February 15 evening: Umpires would now monitor only at teams' request, for at least three ends, to preserve the sport's self-officiating "spirit of curling." Discussions emerged on introducing video replays, with U.S. curler Tara Peterson supporting it for clarity, while others worried it could slow play.
The scandal has drawn unprecedented attention to curling, highlighting its emphasis on sportsmanship amid growing professionalism.
