Swedish Newspaper Accuses Canadian Curlers of Olympic Cheating
A Swedish newspaper has openly branded Canada's Winter Olympic curlers as 'cheats' in a dramatic escalation of a controversy that has rocked the sport. Aftonbladet, a major Swedish outlet, dispatched a photographer specifically to try and capture evidence of Canadian players committing a banned act known as 'double-touching' during their match against Czechia on Monday.
Photographic Evidence and Fiery Denials
The newspaper published images from photographer Pontus Orre that appear to show Canadian captain Brad Jacobs touching the granite of the stone during its forward motion, which violates curling rules. This follows a heated incident on Friday where Sweden's Oskar Eriksson repeatedly accused Canadian curler Marc Kennedy of cheating during their match.
Kennedy responded with a wild outburst captured on the SVT broadcast, shouting: 'I haven't done it once. You can f*** off.' When confronted by Aftonbladet after Canada's 8-2 victory over Czechia, Kennedy defended his team's integrity.
'I can guarantee that there is not a single double touch out there that is done intentionally to cheat. That's all I can say,' Kennedy stated. 'This game of trying to catch people red-handed, and all to win a medal, sucks. Unfortunately.'
Broader Implications for the Sport
The controversy has raised serious questions about curling's traditional self-governing ethos. Kennedy expressed concern about the sport's direction, noting: 'We love the idea of self-government without the need for judges. That's where I think curling is in a bad place right now and I think that comes from a thirst for medals.'
When asked if he worried about curling's reputation, Kennedy admitted: 'Yes, maybe. I haven't thought about it that much, but there are probably some relationships that have been damaged by all this. Yes.'
Rule Violations Explained
The controversy centers on specific curling regulations:
- Before the hog line, players may retouch the handle as many times as they wish
- Touching the handle after the hog line is prohibited and results in the stone's removal
- During forward motion, touching the granite of the stone is not allowed
- Violations require immediate removal of the stone from play
Controversy Spreads Across Competitions
This double-touching storm is not confined to the men's competition. It has crossed into women's curling after Canada's Rachel Homan had her stone removed when an official ruled she had touched it again after releasing the handle.
Meanwhile, Team GB faced similar scrutiny during their round robin match against Germany on Sunday. British curler Bobby Lammie was accused of touching a stone after releasing it, with an umpire intervening to remove the stone from play.
BBC commentator Steve Cram observed the incident, noting: 'The judge has burned a stone, it [the German stone] has been put back.' Co-commentator Jackie Lockhart, a former GB Olympic curler, added: 'Not again.'
Rule Enforcement Changes
World Curling has responded to the controversy by updating their monitoring protocol. Following a meeting with National Olympic Committee representatives, the organization announced that two umpires previously actively monitoring deliveries will now only observe at the request of competing teams.
The new protocol, which began on Sunday evening, requires umpires to monitor deliveries for a minimum of three ends when requested. This represents a significant shift in how potential violations are addressed during Olympic competition.
Aftonbladet also attempted to interview Canadian captain Brad Jacobs but reported being turned away by Canada's press team, adding another layer to the ongoing international dispute that has cast a shadow over Olympic curling competition.
