Canada's men's curling team defeated Great Britain 9-6 to win the Olympic gold medal in Milano Cortina. The victory marked the country's first title in the event since 2014 and came amid a resolved controversy over alleged rule violations. Skip Brad Jacobs addressed critics in a post-match statement.
On Saturday in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, Brad Jacobs led Canada to a 9-6 victory over Great Britain in the men's curling gold medal final at the 2026 Winter Olympics. The win secured Canada's fourth Olympic title in the discipline, with Jacobs earning his second personal gold after triumphing in 2014. Teammates Marc Kennedy, Brett Gallant, and Ben Hebert contributed to the tense, strategic match, where Canada pulled ahead in the later ends.
The tournament had been overshadowed by a controversy earlier in the week. During a round-robin game against Sweden, vice skip Kennedy used profanity toward Oskar Eriksson after accusations of 'double-touching' the stone—a potential infraction where a player touches the stone after release but before the hog line. The incident, caught on a hot mic, drew widespread attention, including memes and coverage from outlets like BBC and CNN. World Curling issued a rule clarification prohibiting post-release touches, added umpires at hog lines, and removed stones in some cases, including one involving Canada's women's team. However, the body later backtracked, reverting to self-policing, and cleared Canada of any violation. Great Britain was the only team penalized for double-touching during the Olympics.
Post-victory, Jacobs addressed the backlash: "For anyone who called us cheaters, for anyone who said negative things about Marc Kennedy, about us, about Canada, about our families, I hope that the image of us standing on top of the podium, embracing one another, smiling ear to ear with our gold medals, is burned into your brain forever." Kennedy reflected on the week: "I don’t know if people will ever understand what we went through this week as a team." He noted avoiding social media to stay focused.
Great Britain's Bruce Mouat earned a second consecutive silver, saying, "I love this game, I love my teammates. I’m not done yet." The result gives Canada seven golds and 14 total medals in Olympic curling, leading all nations. Jacobs called for player input on rules to prevent future issues, citing recent World Curling mishaps.
