A demonstration video by Swedish curler Oskar Eriksson has revived debate over an alleged double-touch violation by Canada's Marc Kennedy at the Milano-Cortina Olympics. Eriksson shows how a post-release touch can alter a stone's path by five centimetres. The clip surfaced as Sweden claimed gold at the men's world curling championship, defeating Canada 9-6.
The controversy originated in February at the Milano-Cortina Olympics during a match between Canada's Brad Jacobs-led team and Sweden's Niklas Edin squad. Eriksson, playing third for Edin, accused Kennedy of touching the stone with his finger after release, past the hog line. Kennedy denied it, telling Eriksson to 'f*** off' on a hot mic, and Canada went on to win gold over Great Britain. Similar accusations later targeted Canada's women's team, skipped by Rachel Homan. Canada. The video, aired by Swedish outlet SVT last week and shared with CBC, features Eriksson gliding on ice, releasing a stone, then tapping it with his index finger. 'At our level, just altering a stone by five centimetres on the other side, knowing how little you need to do to make that correction, is also a skill,' he said. Eriksson added, 'Evil unfortunately wins sometimes,' lamenting that Canada did not play as others do. Canadian experts downplayed the video's claims. Commentator John Cullen called reactions overblown, suggesting Eriksson's 'evil' remark was humorous and lost in translation. Veteran curler Eugene Hritzuk argued rules permit touches before the hog line, with no real advantage at elite levels, and past reviews found policing impractical. On Saturday, Sweden's Edin team, including Eriksson, beat Matt Dunstone's Canada 9-6 to win the men's world curling championship.
