Day 13 at the Winter Olympics: Curling Scandal Erupts in Cortina
Accusations of a double touch violation spark a public clash between Canada and Sweden and force rule clarification at the Winter Olympics.
Well, a curling scandal has rocked the Winter Olympics, though not many know about it.
This one centers on a fingertip and a hot mic.
Canada beat Sweden 8 to 6 in round robin play in Cortina. Late in the ninth end, Canadian curler Marc Kennedy told Sweden’s Oskar Eriksson to “f off.” The comment aired live.
The exchange followed repeated accusations from Sweden.
Swedish skip Niklas Edin said Kennedy touched the granite after releasing the handle. In curling, players must release the stone before the hog line. The handle has a sensor. Once the stone moves forward, you cannot touch the granite. If you do, officials remove the stone from play.
Edin said Kennedy double-touched more than once. He argued that even light pressure affects a 20-kilogram stone. Speed changes. Angle shifts.
On ice, officials said they did not see a violation. They made no call.
Kennedy denied cheating. He said he never tried to gain an advantage. He admitted he reacted poorly. He did not apologize.
World Curling stepped in the next day. The governing body restated the rule. During forward motion, touching the granite leads to removal of the stone. Officials issued a verbal warning to Canadian officials for the language on ice. They refused to use video replay to revisit earlier throws.
Online clips spread fast. Debate followed.
World Curling then assigned umpires to observe deliveries more closely. The policy lasted one day.
In a women’s match, Canada’s Rachel Homan had a stone removed for the same violation. Great Britain’s Bobby Lammie lost a stone in his match as well. Homan said she did not understand the call and felt her team had nothing to do with the earlier dispute.
By Sunday night, World Curling adjusted again. Officials would observe deliveries only if teams requested it.
You need to understand what this means for the sport.
Curling runs on the Spirit of Curling. Players call their own fouls. Teams respect opponents. You win through skill, not technical traps.
This episode exposed pressure points.
Olympic medals raise the stakes. Teams track small edges. Accusations shift from quiet talks between skips to public disputes.
If you follow curling, expect these next steps.
• More formal guidance on delivery monitoring
• Clearer penalties for double-touch violations
• Renewed debate on video replay in Olympic play
• Stronger emphasis on skip-to-skip communication before public claims
Canada kept the win. The standings did not change.
Trust took a hit.
The next time a stone crosses the hog line, you will see more eyes on the release.
No other coverage today, and I apologize for that. You’ll be able to find the latest medal count here.
And that’s it for this one. What are your predictions for Day 7? Put them down in the comments below.
As always, if you have any questions about the Winter Olympics, thoughts on the coverage, or anything else, feel free to drop them in the comments or DM me. I’m always happy to answer questions.
I’ll be back tomorrow with what actually mattered.