Canada and Sweden Nearly Came to Blows Over Cheating Accusations at the Olympics, Video Seems To Show Canada Did Cheat At Curling

Nobody ever expects curling to turn into a full-blown chirp fest, but that is exactly what happened when Milano Cortina Winter Olympics delivered some unexpected spice during a round robin matchup between Canada and Sweden.

What was supposed to be a fairly routine Olympic curling match turned into a borderline WWE segment after the Swedes accused the Canadians of cheating mid-game. Yes, cheating. In curling. The most polite sport on earth suddenly forgot its manners.

Canada, led by Brad Jacobs, came into the match undefeated and looking to stay on top of the standings. Sweden, meanwhile, had struggled out of the gate and entered the contest desperate for a spark. They did not get one on the scoreboard, as Canada cruised to an 8–6 win. But they absolutely got one in the drama department.

Things boiled over when Sweden accused Canadian third Marc Kennedy of illegally touching his stone after releasing it at the hog line, which is a massive no no in curling. According to the rule book, if a moving stone is touched by the delivering team after release, it should be removed from play. Basically, the curling equivalent of being caught red-handed.

As the match went on, the accusations did not stop. In fact, they escalated. During the ninth and tenth ends, Sweden continued chirping Kennedy, eventually leading to a heated confrontation between Kennedy and Swedish skip Oskar Eriksson.

Kennedy finally snapped.

After Eriksson insinuated the Canadians were touching stones beyond the hog line, Kennedy fired back, asking who exactly was doing it before unleashing an all time Olympic quote.

“I haven’t done it once. You can f*** off.”

Not exactly the usual curling etiquette of gentle apologies and handshakes.

Eriksson did not back down either, responding by telling Kennedy he would show him video proof after the match. And sure enough, new footage has now surfaced on social media that appears to show Kennedy’s finger making contact with the stone after it crosses the hog line.

Here is where it gets complicated. Curling rules state that a stone touched after release should be removed, but a double touch by the thrower before the hog line is not a violation. Adding to the chaos, World Curling has implemented electronic handles at the Games that flash red if a player is still touching the stone beyond the line. The handles are hooked up to touch sensors and a magnetic strip embedded in the ice, which sounds more like NASA than curling.

Despite all the yelling, finger-pointing, and alleged evidence, no stones were pulled, no penalties were enforced, and Canada walked away with the win and their undefeated record intact.