Canadian Curling Ace Erupts While Being Accused Of Cheating In Game Against Sweden

The Canadian curling team got into a heated argument with the Swedish men at the Winter Olympics over cheating allegations.

Canadian Curling Ace Erupts While Being Accused Of Cheating In Game Against Sweden

Marc Kennedy erupted while being accused of cheating (via Screengrab from X)

In Short
  • Oskar Eriksson accused Canadian curler Marc Kennedy of double-touching the stone during a match.
  • Kennedy reacted angrily to the allegations, using profanity and denying any wrongdoing.
  • World Curling issued a warning to Kennedy and stated that further inappropriate behavior could lead to sanctions.

The “Chess on Ice” got a little colorful when Canada faced Sweden on Friday in the men’s event. Towards the end of the round robin game, Sweden’s Oskar Eriksson alleged the Canadian third, Marc Kennedy, of double-touching the stone.

In curling, double-touching refers to an illegal contact with the stone and the curler once it has passed the hog line, the point at which the stone must be released. The stones at the Winter Olympics 2026 have been modified with electronic handles with sensors to address double-touching. However, Eriksson claimed that Kennedy had a finger on the stone rather than the handle, thereby bypassing the sensors.

Kennedy was not happy with the allegation, and needless to say, he erupted, and profanities were soon dropped. Kennedy rebutted the allegation with an F-bomb, saying he hadn’t done it once. Eriksson was adamant, saying he could show a video of Kennedy’s illegal maneuver.

Kennedy became more agitated. He mouthed back:

How about you walking around on my peel last end, dancing around in the house here? How about that? Come on, Oskar, just f*** off.

The game was eventually won by the Canadians, who improved to 3-0 before losing to Switzerland in today’s game.

The Swedish team had raised complaints about a double touch multiple times in the broadcast. In the immediate aftermath of the game, a viral video surfaced online. The footage was suggestive but not definitive; it looked as though Kennedy’s finger grazed the stone near the hog line, though it remains impossible to confirm for sure. The Canadians have, in turn, blasted the Swedes for planning the whole thing from the get-go, including securing a video crew and recording.

The World Curling has since issued a statement about the incident. They addressed that the WCF doesn’t employ video reviews and the decisions made during the game are final. However, in light of the allegations, they said that there will be two officials moving between all four sheets and observing deliveries. They also warned the Canadian team of a potential sanction if similar words are used during gameplay.

Canadian Curling under a cloud after similar Infractions against Switzerland

The Canadian curling teams, both men and women, were accused of double-touching by the Swiss team. As a growing flummoxation of a pattern or simply paranoia arises, the Canadian men are now under fire in back-to-back games.

Marc Kennedy of Canadian men's curling team throwing a rock (Image via @JasADRxquisites on X)
Marc Kennedy of Canadian men’s curling team throwing a rock (Image via @JasADRxquisites on X)

Pablo Lachat-Couchepin, the Swiss men’s team lead, told BBC Sport that Marc Kennedy made a similar infarction in their afternoon game on Saturday. While he admitted that the maneuver didn’t make a difference, he added that the rules should be followed properly, not just preached. Lachat-Couchepin told BBC Sport:

I saw [Kennedy do it] when the referee was next to me. I really believe it does nothing – it doesn’t change the stone – but when you have a referee looking at it, they should see it. I was a bit annoyed and said to the chief umpire if they send an email they have to follow what it says. It’s nothing against Marc but you have to follow the rule.

Later, the Canadian women’s team skip, Rachel Homan, had one stone removed in the first end against Switzerland. The three-time World Champion was heard saying she had never done it once. Nonetheless, the Canadians did get a point even with a rock pulled.

The cheating allegations and the video that surfaced yesterday have put the curlers under a truckload of pressure and under watchful eyes for any violations. Amidst the growing controversy, Kennedy said that he might have done it at some point, but it was never intentional. The Canadian men’s (3-1) and women’s (1-3) teams face China on Sunday in their next fixture.

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