Fresh controversy engulfs Canada’s curling team at the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics after Switzerland’s players accused them of double-touching the stone during a recent match.
Initial Clash with Sweden Sparks Debate
Tensions boiled over during Canada’s round-robin game against Sweden on Thursday. Swedish curler Oskar Eriksson accused Marc Kennedy of double-touching the stone after it passed the hog line. Video footage showed Kennedy’s finger appearing to contact the granite surface post-release.
Kennedy firmly denied the allegation. “Oskar was accusing us of cheating. I didn’t like it. I’ve been curling professionally for 25 years. There’s hog line devices on there. I don’t know. And he’s still accusing us of cheating. I didn’t like it. So I told him where to stick it, because we’re the wrong team to do that to, so I don’t care,” Kennedy stated after the 8-6 victory.
World Curling issued a statement clarifying the rules: double touches on the handle are permitted before the hog line, but contact with the granite during forward motion violates protocol. To avoid future disputes, officials will now monitor all deliveries starting Saturday, with two umpires assigned to sheets of ice.
Switzerland Raises Similar Concerns
Just a day later, Canada fell 9-5 to Switzerland in their first round-robin loss. During the fifth-end break, Swiss lead Pablo Lachat-Couchepin alerted coach Glenn Howard and a referee, claiming he witnessed another double touch by Kennedy.
“He double touched. The referee saw it, I told him. He saw that, he didn’t answer anything,” Lachat-Couchepin said. Insisting on the evidence, he added, “I saw it! I saw it! You can see it on TV.”
Initial front-angle footage suggested Kennedy’s finger trailed the stone beyond the hog line, though a side view remains unavailable. Post-match, Lachat-Couchepin reiterated his frustration over the lack of action, referencing World Curling’s recent email on proper stone release.
“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,” he explained.
No penalties followed the Sweden incident, as both teams signed off on the result and World Curling found no violation. The Swiss allegation’s outcome remains uncertain.
