The pursuit of Olympic gold in curling has spiraled into a bitter controversy, with Canada’s teams facing accusations of bending the rules to gain an unfair advantage. A Swedish newspaper has even leveled the explosive charge of “cheating,” dispatching a photographer to document their every move on the ice.
At the heart of the dispute lies a subtle, yet critical, technicality: the “double touch.” Curling demands precision; players must release the stone before crossing the hog line. Any contact with the handle *after* release, or touching the stone itself during its run, results in immediate removal from play. Opponents allege Canadian players are subtly influencing the stone’s path with illicit touches.
Tensions erupted during a recent match between Sweden and Canada, with Swedish player Oskar Eriksson directly accusing Marc Kennedy of wrongdoing. Kennedy’s response was immediate and forceful, a raw outburst caught on live broadcast: “I haven’t done it once. You can f* off.” The moment, though unlikely to appear in official highlights, reverberated throughout the Olympic village and beyond.
The accusations haven’t been limited to the men’s team. Canada’s women’s skip, Rachel Homan, vehemently protested a call that removed one of her stones during a loss to Switzerland. She described the decision as “insane” and insisted her team had never intentionally broken the rule, questioning the umpire’s judgment and demanding a review of the footage.
Driven by the escalating controversy, a Swedish news outlet took matters into its own hands. A photographer was dispatched to Canada’s match against Czechia, returning with images purportedly showing skip Brad Jacobs making contact with a moving stone. While Canada secured a decisive 8-2 victory, the focus quickly shifted to the photographic evidence and the brewing scandal.
Confronted with the images, Kennedy initially attempted to cut short the interview, then offered a weary defense. He acknowledged the intense scrutiny but firmly denied any intentional rule-breaking, stating that no double touch is ever performed with the intent to cheat.
Kennedy also highlighted the sport’s existing mechanisms for ensuring fair play. He explained that opposing teams have the right to call upon game officials to address any concerns, a safeguard that wasn’t utilized by Czechia during their match. He expressed frustration with the “trial by camera” atmosphere, lamenting that the pursuit of medals had fostered a climate of suspicion.
The controversy has shaken curling’s long-held tradition of self-policing, a system Kennedy suggested is now under threat. He admitted the week’s events had made it difficult to use the term “gentlemanly” in reference to the competition, and expressed concern that a relentless focus on winning was eroding the sport’s integrity.
In response to the uproar, World Curling has adjusted its monitoring protocol. While initially deploying umpires to observe all deliveries, they will now only intervene at the explicit request of a team, and for a limited duration. This shift reflects a delicate balance between maintaining fairness and respecting the sport’s traditional spirit.
