Cheating Allegations Made in Curling at Winter Olympics

Two top-ranked men’s curling teams from Sweden and Canada engaged in a heated match at the Winter Olympics on Friday. The dispute centered around allegations of cheating by Canadian player Marc Kennedy during his team’s 8-6 win over Sweden.

According to Swedish rival Oskar Eriksson, Kennedy was accused of “double-touching” – touching the rock again after initially releasing it down the sheet of ice – during the match. Kennedy responded with profanity, denying any wrongdoing and stating that he had been unfairly accused after 25 years of competing. The incident caused a brief standstill in play as Kennedy argued with members of the Swedish team.

Eriksson stated that his goal was to ensure all teams played by the same rules, emphasizing the importance of sportsmanship, honesty, and cleanliness in the game. The Olympic rules dictate that stones must be delivered using the handle on top of the rock and released from the hand before reaching the hog line – a thick green line at each end of the ice.

Replays appeared to show Kennedy releasing the stone with his handle, then touching it again with an outstretched finger as it approached the hog line. The incident was reported to officials, who monitored Canada’s curlers but took no action. World Curling did not take any disciplinary measures against either team.

Source: Al Jazeera