Updated: February 13, 2026, 7:37 p.m. ET
Canada’s men’s curling squad concluded a flawless 2-0 performance on the day at the 2026 Winter Olympics, securing a close victory against Sweden.
However, prior to the declaration of a winner in Cortina d’Ampezzo, palpable friction emerged between the competing squads.
After the conclusion of the ninth end, a heated verbal exchange erupted between Canada and Sweden on the ice at the Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium. The dispute originated from Sweden’s Oskar Eriksson’s accusation that Canada’s Marc Kennedy had illegally double-touched his stone post-release and prior to the hog line.
“It seems acceptable to touch the rock beyond the hog line,” Eriksson remarked as he cleared the house, as reported by the Toronto Star. The Star noted that Kennedy promptly retorted to Eriksson’s comments with exclamations like “who?”, “I haven’t done that a single time,” and “Don’t taunt.”
Canada ultimately sealed their 8-6 triumph against Sweden by scoring a point in the 10th end, advancing their round-robin record to 3-0.
The core of Sweden’s complaint, as reported by Reuters, stemmed from their belief that Kennedy and the Canadian team were touching the stone past the hog line—the demarcation on the ice sheet where curlers are required to release the curling stone during their throw.
At the 2026 Winter Olympics, World Curling has implemented electronic handles on the stones. This technology is designed to alert officials to instances of double-touching. Eriksson indicated that Sweden suspected Kennedy was making contact with the stone itself rather than the sensor-equipped handle, which would prevent the red lights from activating.
“When he inquired about who we believed had crossed the hog line, I indicated the individual we thought was touching the stone,” Eriksson stated. “There was clearly no red light, yet some players are making contact with the stone itself, in our opinion. And that is impermissible. … We informed the officials, who then appeared and, unfortunately, misinterpreted the regulations.
“They believed that touching any portion of the stone twice was acceptable. Later, they discovered this was incorrect. Only the electronic segment of the handle is permitted to be touched.”
When questioned about the confrontation after the game, Kennedy expressed his displeasure at being labeled a cheat.
“This is sport; it’s the Olympics. Both teams are striving for victory,” Kennedy remarked after the contest, as reported by Reuters. “Oskar alleged that we were cheating. I took exception to that. I’ve dedicated 25 years to professional curling.”
He subsequently stated: “There are hog line detection devices in place. I’m unsure. Yet, he persists in accusing us of cheating. I found it unacceptable. Consequently, I verbally expressed my strong disapproval.”
World Curling informed Reuters that umpires were positioned at the hog line to supervise deliveries for three ends following the initial complaint during the game. However, they found “no hog line violations or illegal retouches of the stone throughout the observation period.”
Both squads are scheduled to resume play on Saturday, February 14th, each competing in one game. Canada will face Switzerland at 8:05 a.m. ET, simultaneously with Sweden’s match against China.
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