Olympic curling controversy explained: Sweden accuses Canada of cheating
- - Olympic curling controversy explained: Sweden accuses Canada of cheating
Cydney Henderson, USA TODAYFebruary 15, 2026 at 11:36 PM
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MILAN — Cheating allegations have rocked the men's curling competition after Sweden accused Canada of intentionally breaking the rules in the Canadians 8-6 preliminary round win Friday, Feb. 13 at the 2026 Winter Olympics.
Sweden's Team Niklas Edin of Sweden accused Canada's Team Brad Jacobs of double touching the stone during their preliminary round matchup at the Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium on Friday. Tensions boiled over between both rinks and a NSFW exchange ensued, resulting in a verbal warning from World Curling.
Kennedy initially asked who before responding, "I haven't done it once. You can (expletive) off." Eriksson said he'll show Kennedy "a video after the game," which Kennedy replied, "I don't give a (expletive)."
The heated exchange started when Swedish third Oskar Eriksson told Canadian third Marc Kennedy, an Olympic gold-medalist at the 2010 Vancouver Games, "Apparently, it's okay touching the rock after the hog line."
1 / 7Curling has changed a lot through the years, the sport and the athletesThe USA team debate their next move during the curling match against Sweden at the Ogden Ice Sheet during the Salt Lake City Olympic Winter Games on Feb. 11, 2002.
In response to the accusations, World Curling said officials would monitor opponents’ deliveries more closely moving forward.
"It is not possible for World Curling to have game umpires positioned to observe all hog lines for every stone delivery," the organization said in a statement on Saturday. "However, beginning with the Saturday (Feb. 14) afternoon session, two officials will move between all four sheets and observe deliveries."
Here's everything we know about the men's curling cheating allegations:
How does Olympic curling work?
Two teams of four people each take turns gliding 44-pound stones down a sheet of ice toward a target that looks like a bullseye. Each match features six to 10 rounds, called ends. The stones have a handle on them, so when they are released, they curl down the ice. As the stone glides toward the target, players sweep the ice in front of it, which can affect the direction and the speed of the stone.
During each round, teams take turns throwing eight rocks, and the team with the rock or rocks closest to the center of the target wins the end. Players can throw guards to block the target, draws to try to score or takeouts to remove the opponent's stones as each end plays out. There are three curling events in the 2026 Winter Olympics: Men’s curling, Women’s curling and Mixed doubles.
Marc Kennedy of Canada during a men's round robin game during the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium on Feb 13, 2026 in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy.What happened with Sweden vs. Canada curling?
Team Sweden alerted officials of their opponents' potential delivery issues during Friday's matchup, resulting in game umpires being positioned to observe Canada for release infractions for three ends.
"During this period of observation in the Friday evening game, there were no violations recorded," World Curling said in statement on Saturday.
Sweden's Eriksson alleged that the Swedish team has video evidence of the delivery issues, but World Curling said video replays cannot be used "to re-umpire game decisions. Decisions made during a game are final."
Is double touching allowed?
According to World Curling rulebook, players can retouch the handles before the hog line, "a line extending across the width of the sheet that is parallel to each tee line," but touching the handle after the hog line isn't allowed. A violation would result in the stone being removed from play.
— Rule R.5 (e): “A stone must be clearly released from the hand before it reaches the hog line at the delivery end. If the player fails to do so, the stone is immediately removed from play by the delivering team.”
A player is not allowed to touch the granite of the stone during forward motion. This violation would also result in the stone being removed from play.
— Rule R.5 (d): The curling stone must be delivered using the handle of the stone.
Canada responds
The Canadian men’s team was issued a verbal warning over explicit language used during Friday's game. According to World Curling, Kennedy's profanity broke Rule R.19, which states: “Improper conduct, foul or offensive language, equipment abuse, or willful damage on the part of any team member is prohibited. Any violation may result in suspension of the offending person(s) by the curling organization having jurisdiction.”
Curling Canada said its athletes showcased "passion" during the "highly competitive" matchup, but noted that the organization was supportive of the warning.
"We want to reaffirm that Curling Canada fully supports fair play, respect and sportsmanship, values that are fundamental to our sport," the statement reads. "We appreciate the support and enthusiasm of curling fans everywhere, and we look forward to continuing to cheer on and support our Canadian teams in Cortina on their journey."
Yesterday’s men’s curling match between Team Canada and Team Sweden in Cortina was highly competitive, showcasing the passion and commitment of both teams.During the game, officials were called to the field of play and closely monitored for any release rule infractions,… pic.twitter.com/vB8IkBZdga
— Curling Canada (@CurlingCanada) February 14, 2026
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Sweden accuses Canada curling of cheating at Olympics: What happened?
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