In an escalating conflict at the curling Olympics in Cortina, Canadian Marc Kennedy accuses the Swedish team of plotting a trap with a camera to catch him in a rule violation. Kennedy regrets his outburst but denies intentional cheating, while Swede Niklas Edin dismisses the claims and highlights a broader issue with rule-breaking in the sport.
The conflict between the Swedish and Canadian men's curling teams at the Olympics in Cortina has drawn international attention. During the match against Sweden, Canada's Marc Kennedy shouted “fuck off” at Swedish vice-skipper Oskar Eriksson, after TV footage later revealed Kennedy had committed a rule-violating double touch by touching the stone with his finger on the hog line.
Following Canada's loss to Switzerland on Saturday, Kennedy continued to fuel the dispute. He suggested the Swedish team was behind the footage and had placed a camera in the stands to catch them red-handed. “They had a plan here to catch us red-handed on the hog line. It was planned from the beginning, everything that was said, their coach and the way they ran to the officials,” Kennedy said, adding that the Swedes should have talked to them before the match.
Kennedy admitted touching the granite but insisted it was unintentional. “If it happens, it's not something I'm aware of or do to control the stone. Then it's completely unconscious,” he explained, expressing regret over his language but not for standing up for himself. The World Curling Federation issued a warning to the Canadian team for the language on Saturday.
Swedish skip Niklas Edin laughed off the accusations and denied any involvement. “We absolutely did not place any camera. It was probably the media (SVT) that placed a camera to show the viewers and explain,” Edin said. He questioned Kennedy's claim of an unintentional violation: “You don't touch 20 kilos of granite with a fingertip without feeling it. Those of us in the sport know that very few grams of pressure can change the speed.”
Edin emphasized that the criticism targets a general problem in curling, where many players break the rules. “We have pointed this out for many years, other teams too – and now I heard that Switzerland said the same in their match (against Canada). It's a shame it takes so long and that it takes an Olympics for this to come to light,” he said. After the win against China, the USA awaits as the next opponent, and Edin hopes the controversy will subside so the team can focus on the game.
