Canada's women's curling team, led by skip Rachel Homan, has become entangled in a significant cheating controversy at the Winter Olympics, with allegations of double touching stones casting a shadow over the competition. The dispute erupted after Sweden's men's team accused Canadian curlers of double touching their stones during a game last Friday.
Initial Response and Escalation
In response to the accusations, World Curling initially announced that two officials would monitor the hog line—the point where curlers must release the stone—for the remainder of the competition. However, the situation intensified for Homan's team when one of her stones was removed from play for double touching during a subsequent loss to Switzerland. Homan branded this decision "insane," adding fuel to the growing controversy.
Homan's Firm Denial
Speaking on Monday, Homan firmly rejected the accusations, stating, "I think the word cheating came out of nowhere. It has nothing to do with cheating. There's no chance that Canadians would ever intentionally cheat." She emphasized the team's integrity, saying, "We don't do that. We're playing out there. We're fierce. You know, things happen. People burn rocks. People go over the hog line—that's just part of the sport."
Homan added that there are judges and reviews in place to ensure fair play, concluding, "We don't take lightly to feeling like someone thinks we're cheating out there."
Heated Exchanges and Team Reactions
The drama was further amplified by a "heated moment" between Canada's Marc Kennedy and Sweden's Oskar Eriksson during their game. After Eriksson reportedly offered to show Kennedy video evidence of him touching a stone repeatedly, the Canadian responded with an expletive, which was picked up on broadcast.
Emma Miskew, second for the Canadian women's team, commented on the men's exchange, saying, "It obviously was like a heated moment between two players that blew it up. We had nothing to do with that. So we felt like we were brought into a situation that we had no part in."
World Curling's Revised Decision
World Curling subsequently scaled back its initial decision to increase officiating. Following a meeting with national representatives on Saturday, the body confirmed that officials would only actively monitor for violations at the request of teams.
Miskew reflected on the situation, stating, "When the players started complaining, it puts them in a tough position, because they want to do their jobs and listen to the players that think that there's a problem out there... But I'm happy with how the discussion went and what the ruling came to."
The controversy continues to loom over the Winter Olympics, with Homan and her team adamant that their actions were unintentional and within the bounds of the sport's competitive spirit.
