Olympic Curling Faces Scrutiny Over Double-Touch Claims
Double-touching allegations against Canada and Britain led World Curling to change umpire monitoring and sparked calls for more replay and scrutiny at Cortina’s curling center.
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FOX NewsBritish curlers join Canada in Olympic curling controversy
USA TODAYOlympic curling controversy explained: Sweden accuses Canada of cheating
Overview
Umpires removed a stone from Great Britain’s match after Scottish curler Bobby Lammie was judged to have touched a stone after release, officials said.
The dispute began when Sweden accused Canada’s Marc Kennedy of double-touching during Canada’s 8-6 win on Friday, Feb. 13, officials said.
World Curling said touching the granite or the handle during forward motion is not allowed and that such stones will be removed from play.
Canadian curlers including Marc Kennedy and Rachel Homan denied wrongdoing, Kennedy swore at a Swedish player and faced criticism, and Canada’s women lost 8-7 to Switzerland, officials said.
World Curling said it will designate two officials to move between matches and later said two umpires will monitor deliveries only at the request of competing teams, while some athletes urged more replay, officials said.
Analysis
Center-leaning sources frame the controversy as Canada being singled out and damaged: editorial language ('ego bruised,' 'taking it personally,' 'clear animosity,' 'expletive-laden outburst') emphasizes reputational harm and drama. Source content (Kennedy/Homan denials, World Curling rule statement, viral video references) is included but often framed to support the aggrieved-nation narrative.
FAQ
Double-touching occurs when a curler touches the handle of the stone or the granite after passing the hog line during forward motion, or touches the granite at any point. The stone is removed from play.
Sweden accused Canada's Marc Kennedy of touching the granite during forward motion in their 8-6 win on Friday, February 13, leading to a heated exchange.
World Curling initially assigned two umpires to monitor deliveries across sheets, then changed to monitoring only at teams' request for a minimum of three ends after a meeting.
Great Britain's Bobby Lammie had a stone removed in the ninth end against Germany, and Canada's Rachel Homan had one removed in the first end against Switzerland.
