Olympic Champion Jennifer Jones Defends Canadian Curling Team Amid Cheating Allegations
Former Olympic curling champion Jennifer Jones has leapt to the defense of the current Canadian team at the highly-charged Winter Games in Italy, insisting she does not believe her compatriots are intentionally cheating. The controversy has engulfed Team Canada, leading to foul-mouthed clashes on the ice and accusations from rivals.
Heated Confrontations and Accusations
Last week, Sweden's Oskar Eriksson repeatedly accused his Canadian opponent Marc Kennedy of cheating by double-touching the stones during their match. In curling, a double touch by the person delivering the stone prior to the hog line is not considered a violation, but if it occurs inside the hog line, it incurs an infraction.
Kennedy did not take kindly to the allegations and angrily confronted his rival. 'I haven't done it once,' the Canadian shouted in a furious outburst captured on broadcast. 'You can f*** off.' The Winter Olympics curling match between Canada and Sweden became heated, with Eriksson publicly accusing Kennedy of cheating.
Media Scrutiny and Official Review
Team Canada was later branded 'cheats' by a Swedish newspaper, which even sent a photographer to try and prove its case. 'I can guarantee that there is not a single double touch out there that is done intentionally to cheat,' Kennedy later told Swedish outlet Aftonbladet. World Curling reviewed the match and stated it found no missed violations.
The double-touching storm has also impacted the women's curling competition, with Canada's Rachel Homan having her stone removed when an official ruled she touched it again after releasing the handle.
Jennifer Jones Weighs In
Now, Olympic gold medalist Jennifer Jones has weighed in on the scandal. She led Canada to gold at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi and told CBC she 'does not believe' anyone has knowingly done anything wrong.
'I don't think there is any malice in what's happening here - I do believe it was just that tense altercation that's really made the Canadian team front and center,' she said. 'I think it's maybe a part of a habit in their delivery and honestly, with the camera angles, it is very difficult to see for certain if there was a violation.'
Jones added that any players who have had a rock pulled are not doing it intentionally to gain advantage, but rather it is part of their delivery habit that is hard to break.
Harassment and Broader Implications
Amid the controversy, Kennedy's wife has been targeted with harassment on social media. Curling Canada CEO Nolan Thiessen called it 'c***' and emphasized that players are human beings whose families should be left out of it.
Aftonbladet published images from their photographer Pontus Orre that appear to show Canada's captain Brad Jacobs touching the granite during forward motion in a match against Czechia, which Canada won 8-2. When confronted, Kennedy reiterated his stance, saying the game of trying to catch people red-handed to win a medal 'sucks' and that curling's self-governing spirit is at risk due to medal thirst.
Kennedy expressed concern about curling's reputation, noting that relationships may have been damaged and that without the sport's soul, it could be in trouble. Team GB has also been dragged into the storm after curler Bobby Lammie grazed the stone with his finger after releasing it.
