Winter Olympics 2026: Canada & Sweden in curling row
BBC World
February 14, 2026
AI-Generated Deep Dive Summary
The 2026 Winter Olympics in Cortina saw a heated curling match between Canada and Sweden descend into accusations of cheating, with tempers flaring on the ice. The Swedes alleged that Canadian skip Marc Kennedy double-touched his stones during the game, a violation that could alter the trajectory of the shots. Sweden's skip Niklas Edin raised the issue with officials early in the match, but tensions escalated as the game progressed, culminating in heated arguments and verbal exchanges between Kennedy and Swedish team member Oskar Eriksson during the final end. Despite Canada winning 8-6, the incident left Sweden without a win in their first three games, sparking debates about fair play and sportsmanship.
The controversy centered on whether Kennedy's actions violated curling rules. Each stone is equipped with a sensor to detect if players touch it after releasing the handle behind the hog line. While Kennedy's stone showed green, indicating proper release, Sweden claimed they saw evidence of an extra push. Video replay supported their claims, but under curling regulations, unless a protest was filed immediately after
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Originally published on BBC World on 2/14/2026