Brad Jacobs' Canada defeated Niklas Edin's Sweden 8-6 in a tense round-robin encounter at the Winter Olympics, but the match was overshadowed by allegations of cheating and a heated exchange between players. Sweden claimed their opponents were double-touching the stone after release, prompting a halt in play and calls for officials to monitor the deliveries.
The controversy escalated when Sweden scored two in the penultimate end to leave Canada with the hammer and a 7-6 lead. In a frosty exchange between the teams' thirds, Marc Kennedy and Oskar Eriksson traded accusations. Eriksson said he would show Kennedy a replay of him touching the stone repeatedly, to which Kennedy responded with an expletive-laden retort.
Speaking afterwards, Kennedy said: "It's good. It's sport. It's the Olympics. Both teams are trying to win. Oskar was accusing us of cheating. I didn't like it. I've been curling professionally for 25 years." He added: "He might have been upset that he was losing. He might be upset that they're 0-2, grasping for straws. I just told him again. I said I have a ton of respect for him as a player."
Eriksson, however, insisted that Kennedy and other Canadian players were touching the rock itself rather than the electronic handle, meaning the sensor did not flash red. "It was obviously not a red light, but some players are touching the rock according to us. And that's not allowed," he said. Sweden's skip Edin expressed sadness at the confrontation, noting that the teams have known each other for 20 years.
World Curling said umpires were stationed at the hog line for three ends after the issue was raised, and confirmed that "there were no hog line violations or retouches of the stone during the observation." Canada remain unbeaten in their campaign, while Sweden, the defending champions, have lost their opening three matches.
