Olympic Curling Turns Ugly As Canada Cheating Scandal Occurs

The 2026 Winter Olympics delivered drama long before medals were handed out. During a tense men’s curling matchup in Milan, tempers flared between Canada and Sweden after an accusation of cheating sparked a heated shouting match on the ice. What began as a routine Olympic showdown quickly escalated into finger-pointing, profanity, and official intervention, all unfolding before a global audience.

Swedish curler Oskar Eriksson accused Canadian player Marc Kennedy of breaking the rules during Friday’s match at the Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium. Sweden ultimately lost 8-6 to Canada, but the post-shot tension quickly became the bigger story.

Eriksson claimed Kennedy touched his stone twice before releasing it, something Kennedy strongly denied. “Apparently, it’s alright touching the rock after the hogline,” Erikkson said to Kennedy, after complaining to officials.

“Who?” Kennedy responded. “It’s a couple,” replied Eriksson.

Kennedy fired back, “I haven’t done it once,” adding to Eriksson, “You can f-ck off.”

Eriksson then said, “...Okay, I’ll show you a video after the game.”

The confrontation didn’t stop there.

Kennedy continued the heated exchange, saying, “How about you walking around my peel [sic] and dancing around the house? How about that? C’mon Oskar, just f-ck off.”

He added, “...I don’t give a sh-t. They were standing here and didn’t call it.”

The moment marked one of the most intense on-ice exchanges of the curling competition so far, as both players stood their ground during the dispute.

In curling, players must release their stone before it reaches the “hogline,” marked by a thick green line on the ice. If they fail to do so, a red sensor flashes to indicate the violation.

Kennedy was accused of giving his stone another shove with his finger after releasing it. That alleged second touch became the center of the controversy, prompting officials to step in.

Kennedy later acknowledged he could’ve handled things better. “We had a good chat last night, I thanked my team for having my back,” Kennedy told CBC Sports following Saturday’s 9-5 loss to Switzerland.

“To be completely honest with you, I probably could’ve handled myself better in the moment. My whole life, I’ve been like that if my integrity gets questioned," he continued. "We’re human out there, there’s a lot of emotion. But there’s no question I could’ve handled it better. I know I’m a role model for Canadian curlers, so if I apologize at all, it’s to the young curlers around the country that would’ve expected more from me in that moment.”

He also said, “I don’t like being accused of cheating after 25 years on tour and four Olympic Games," per NBC. Addressing his heated exchange with Eriksson, Kennedy added, “He’s still accusing us of cheating, and 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. He might have been upset that he was losing.”

World Curling communications chief Chris Hamilton later confirmed that no violations occurred during the match.

“The issue of second touches of the stone, specifically the granite, during the delivery was brought to the umpire’s attention,” the statement read. “Officials spoke with both teams and set game umpires at the hogline to monitor deliveries for three ends, which is the official protocol following this type of complaint. There were no hogline violations or retouches of the stone during the observation period.”

The investigation effectively cleared Kennedy of any wrongdoing.