Curling Rules Scandal: Are Cheating Allegations Against Canada True or Just Olympic Drama?

Cheating allegations have cast a shadow over the men's curling competition at the 2026 Winter Olympics after Sweden accused Canada of violating curling rules during their preliminary round clash.

The controversy unfolded at the Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium on Friday, 13 February, when Sweden's Team Niklas Edin claimed Canada's Team Brad Jacobs double-touched a stone. A heated exchange erupted between Swedish third Oskar Eriksson and Canadian third Marc Kennedy, resulting in a verbal warning for Kennedy from World Curling.

Eriksson reportedly told Kennedy, 'Apparently, it's OK touching the rock after the hog line', to which Kennedy replied, 'I haven't done it once. You can **** off.' The interaction highlighted tensions on the ice and drew attention to the strict rules governing stone delivery in curling.

Understanding the Rules of Olympic Curling

Curling is played by two teams of four, who take turns sliding 44-pound granite stones down a sheet of ice towards a target that resembles a bullseye. Each match is divided into six to ten rounds, called ends. Players can throw guards to block opponents, draws to reach the target, or takeouts to remove opposing stones. Sweeping in front of the stone can alter its speed and direction.

According to World Curling rules, a player may adjust the handle of a stone before the hog line, a line stretching across the sheet. Touching the stone after this line is prohibited and would result in the stone being removed from play.

Rule R.5 (e) states, '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.'

Men's Match Drama: Sweden vs Canada

During the men's preliminary round, Sweden alerted officials to possible delivery infractions, prompting umpires to monitor Canada for three ends. As reported by USA Today, Sweden's Eriksson alleged that the team has video evidence of the alleged infractions, though World Curling confirmed that no violations were recorded during the game. Despite this, tensions escalated between players on the ice.

Kennedy received a verbal warning for using offensive language in response to Eriksson. Curling Canada emphasised that its athletes displayed 'passion' during a 'highly competitive' match, while supporting World Curling's enforcement of fair play and sportsmanship.

Women's Match Incident: Canada vs Switzerland

The controversy continued less than 24 hours later in the women's event. Canadian skip Rachel Homan was penalised for touching her stone after release in a narrow 8-7 loss to Switzerland.

The stone was removed despite protests from Homan and teammates Emma Miskew and Sarah Wilkes. Homan said, 'I've never done it in my life,' and expressed frustration that the ruling affected her focus during the match.

World Curling confirmed that officials positioned on the hog line determined the violation. Video replay is not permitted in curling, so the call stood. The Canadian women's team fell to 1-3 after the defeat.

Official Responses and Rule Enforcement

World Curling released multiple statements regarding umpire positioning and rule enforcement. Officials will now monitor athlete deliveries only upon request from competing teams. Curling Canada reaffirmed its commitment to fair play, respect, and sportsmanship, while acknowledging the intensity of Olympic competition.

The incidents have drawn attention to curling rules and the difficulty of policing delivery infractions during fast-paced matches. Both the men's and women's controversies illustrate the fine line between competitive zeal and perceived rule-breaking at the Winter Olympics.