Lead: At the 2026 Winter Olympics in Cortina d’Ampezzo on Feb. 14, Canadian curler Marc Kennedy rejected accusations that he deliberately broke curling rules and suggested Sweden may have mounted a “premeditated” effort to catch his team. The dispute followed Canada’s 8-6 round-robin victory and video circulated online that appears to show Kennedy contacting his stone after release. World Curling issued Kennedy a verbal warning but did not levied formal cheating charges. Tournament officials positioned additional monitors at the hog line for subsequent sessions amid heightened scrutiny.
Key Takeaways
- Marc Kennedy, 44, was accused of “double-touching” during Canada’s 8-6 round-robin win on Feb. 14 in Cortina d’Ampezzo; video footage circulated online appears to show contact after release.
- Kennedy denied intentional cheating and suggested the episode could be a “premeditated” effort by Sweden to catch teams in violation; he acknowledged he “probably could have handled it better.”
- World Curling issued a verbal warning to Kennedy but has not filed a formal cheating charge; the federation confirmed it does not use video review to adjudicate such calls.
- Officials stationed personnel at the hog line for three ends during the match after Sweden raised concerns; no official violations were recorded in that monitored stretch.
- The Canadian women’s side faced a similar allegation when Rachel Homan was flagged for a potential double-touch in the first end against Switzerland; Homan denied any wrongdoing.
- During the same weekend Canada lost 9-5 to Switzerland while Sweden beat China 6-4 in later sessions under increased monitoring.
- Swiss coach Glenn Howard and Sweden’s Oskar Eriksson said they or their teams had noticed similar actions in prior events and reported them to officials previously.
Background
Curling’s long-standing conventions rely on player honesty and on-ice officials rather than post-match video review. The sport’s rule governing re-touching the stone after release—commonly called a “double-touch”—is judged by officials watching play in real time; World Curling has historically not used match video for formal intervention. That culture makes any visual evidence circulating online unusually consequential, because footage can be replayed and scrutinized by fans, commentators and other teams.
Canada and Sweden are among the sport’s elite nations and meet regularly on the international circuit, which fuels intense rivalry and frequent tactical attention. Accusations across successive matches risk escalating tensions; the complaint against Kennedy followed Sweden skip Niklas Edin alerting officials earlier in the match, and Eriksson later said he had raised the issue at two prior events. The appearance of a camera focused on the hog line—uncommon for standard broadcasts—has added to the controversy, with questions about when and why operators repositioned to capture the play.
Main Event
The incident unfolded late in Canada’s 8-6 round-robin victory over Sweden on Feb. 14. Broadcasters and spectators reviewed a clip showing Kennedy’s outstretched finger appearing to make contact with the granite rock after he released it down the sheet. Sweden’s Oskar Eriksson raised the complaint during play; an official then shadowed the Canadian throwers at the hog line for three ends without recording infractions, World Curling reported.
Kennedy responded publicly the next day, saying he had never taken the ice “with the intention of getting an advantage through cheating” and that, while he could have handled his reaction differently, he did not believe the contact was deliberate. He suggested the possibility that Sweden or others had tried to set a trap to catch teams in the act. World Curling issued a verbal warning to Kennedy but stopped short of bringing formal charges, citing its rules and current procedures.
In parallel, the Canadian women’s team was accused by match officials of a similar double-touch by veteran skip Rachel Homan in the first end of her match against Switzerland. Homan strongly rejected the claim during play. Meanwhile, Swiss coach Glenn Howard said his team also alerted umpires midmatch over a similar concern, underscoring that multiple teams raised suspicions across sessions.
Swedish public broadcaster SVT acknowledged it had repositioned a camera to the hog line after Sweden raised concerns earlier in the match; the channel’s operator remained there until capturing the moment in the eighth end, according to an SVT staffer. Eriksson said Swedish TV later showed him the footage, which helped prompt the on-ice dispute and public attention thereafter.
Analysis & Implications
The episode exposes a tension between curling’s traditional reliance on on-ice adjudication and modern demands for video transparency. Because World Curling does not accept video as formal evidence, high-resolution clips circulating online can inflame public opinion without triggering procedural penalties. That gap pressures governing bodies to clarify whether and how external footage should influence official reviews and discipline.
If teams begin to reposition broadcast equipment routinely to monitor the hog line, the optics and fairness of matches could shift. Cameras focused on release points can capture marginal contacts that are hard to adjudicate in real time, and that could encourage teams to raise formal complaints more frequently. Any change in broadcast practice risks creating uneven scrutiny across matches, depending on where cameras are placed.
For athletes, the dispute raises reputational stakes: an apparent infraction on viral video can damage credibility even absent formal sanctions. For organizers, maintaining consistent enforcement is critical to uphold the Olympic ideal of fair play. Expect World Curling and the Olympic technical delegates to examine camera protocols, on-ice official placement and whether additional training or clearer guidelines are required for future events.
Comparison & Data
| Match | Alleged Incident | Immediate Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Canada vs Sweden, Feb. 14 | Marc Kennedy alleged double-touch (8th end) | Video circulated; verbal warning to Kennedy; no formal charge |
| Canada (women) vs Switzerland | Rachel Homan alleged double-touch (1st end) | Match continued; players denied wrongdoing; no formal sanction |
| Canada vs Switzerland (later session) | Swiss team raised a midmatch alert | No recorded infraction; increased monitoring in following sessions |
The table shows three distinct moments where Canadian teams were questioned across sessions, with officials choosing monitoring over immediate sanctions in each case. Scores and outcomes included Canada’s 8-6 win over Sweden, a 9-5 loss to Switzerland in a subsequent men’s session, and Sweden’s 6-4 victory over China. Those results took place while tournament refereeing protocols were adapted in real time.
Reactions & Quotes
Team and official reactions were terse but pointed, reflecting both personal frustration and procedural caution.
“I’ve never taken the ice with the intention of getting an advantage through cheating.”
Marc Kennedy
Kennedy framed the incident as a misunderstanding and rejected any deliberate rule-breaking. He also conceded he could have managed his response to Swedish players’ accusations more calmly, but he emphasized the absence of intent to cheat.
“We want to play a fair-and-square game, like you follow the rules.”
Oskar Eriksson
Eriksson said he had observed the action before and had notified officials at two prior events. He and his teammates said they informed both opponents and officials during the match, stressing a desire to protect the integrity of play.
“My whole career, you’d be like, ‘Ah, that’s OK,’ if there was a minor infraction.”
Glenn Howard, Swiss coach
Howard, a veteran and well-known figure in curling, described mixed feelings about the flare-up and noted that perceptions of what constitutes a sanctionable infraction have evolved. His comments illustrated how experience and changing expectations among teams and coaches feed into current debates.
Unconfirmed
- Whether Sweden’s placement of a camera at the hog line was coordinated as part of a deliberate plan to catch opponents remains unproven.
- Claims that Kennedy had a history of similar deliberate infractions are not substantiated by formal disciplinary records from World Curling.
- It is unconfirmed whether World Curling will alter its policy on using broadcast video as formal evidence following this incident.
Bottom Line
The controversy around Marc Kennedy’s alleged double-touch highlights a crossroads for curling governance: balancing traditional on-ice adjudication with modern video scrutiny. Viral clips amplify disputes and can pressure governing bodies to clarify rules and camera protocols, but video alone currently does not substitute for official rulings under World Curling’s procedures.
For athletes and teams, the episode is a reminder that both conduct and optics matter at the Olympic level. Expect increased monitoring at release points, more frequent communication between teams and officials, and potential policy discussions in the weeks after Cortina as stakeholders weigh how to preserve fairness without creating inconsistent scrutiny across matches.
Sources
- ESPN — news report republishing Associated Press coverage
- World Curling — governing body, official statements and competition rules
- SVT — Swedish public broadcaster, provided footage and operator explanation