Canada and Sweden’s curling teams swear at each other after a cheating accusation

MILAN — The action heated up on the ice during the men’s curling competition between Canada and Sweden on Friday, leading to a shouting match between the two teams.

The Swedish team accused Canada of cheating in what was ultimately an 8-6 victory for the Canadians. Specifically, Sweden reported to referees that Canadian Marc Kennedy was illegally touching his stone, giving it a second push with his finger after releasing the handle on top.

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In curling, players must release their stone before it reaches the “hog line,” marked on Olympic ice by a thick green line. A sensor flashes red if players have not released the stone before it reaches the hogs’ line, but Kennedy has been accused of using his finger to push the stone again after dropping it.

A slow-motion close-up video appears to show Kennedy using her index finger on the stone as she approaches the line of pigs.

After Sweden filed its complaint, an official was stationed on the green line to ensure there were no further infractions, although previous games could not be reviewed for irregularity.

As the game continued, the teams became irritated with each other, leading Kennedy to hurl expletives at the Swedish team in his own defense as the two teams argued on the ice.

“We want a game that is as sporty, honest and clean as possible, so we say it as soon as I see that the Canadian number 2 is, in my eyes, there, pushing the stone,” said Swede Oskar Eriksson afterwards. “It drops the handle, so the green light is on and it’s OK, but you can’t push it into any part other than the electronic handle. And in our opinion, they did that.”

Kennedy, for his part, took offense to this accusation.

“I don’t like being accused of cheating after 25 years on tour and four Olympics,” Kennedy said.

When asked why their exchange happened late in the game, Kennedy added: “He’s always accusing us of cheating, and I didn’t like that. So I told him where to put it, because we’re not the right team to do that to. So I don’t care. He might have been upset about losing.”

In a statement to Canadian broadcaster CBC, World Curling did not acknowledge any double touching on the part of Kennedy.

“The issue of second touches of the stone, particularly granite, during delivery was brought to the attention of the referee,” the statement said. “Officials spoke with both teams and placed game officials at the line of play to monitor deliveries for three ends, which is the official protocol following this type of complaint. There were no line of play violations or tampering with the rock during the observation period.”

World Curling officials also met with Canadian officials after the match and issued a verbal warning “regarding the language used” by Kennedy on the ice, adding that any inappropriate behavior “would result in additional sanctions.”

Sweden fell to 0-3 in round robin play after the loss to Canada, meaning they will have an uphill climb to force a potential rematch in the knockout stage.