These Canadian curlers just can\u2019t seem to (allegedly) keep their fingers off the rocks once they\u2019ve let them go.<\/p>\n
Not even 24 hours after Canadian men\u2019s curling team vice-skip Marc Kennedy was accused of cheating by double touching the stone during Canada\u2019s round-robin match with Sweden \u2013 and subsequently blew up at the Swedes<\/a> \u2013 Switzerland accused Canada of the same thing during its 9-5 victory over Brad Jacobs\u2019 rink Saturday<\/a> at the 2026 Winter Olympics.<\/p>\n During a break in action Saturday, TV cameras caught Swiss curler Pablo Lachat-Couchepin speaking to Swiss men\u2019s curling team coach Glenn Howard \u2013 a legendary Canadian curler in his heyday who won four world championship representing Canada \u2013 explaining that Canada had double-touched.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t want to focus too much on it, but he double touched and the referee saw that,\u201d Lachat-Couchepin said. \u201cI told (the referee), he saw that. He didn\u2019t answer anything.\u201d<\/p>\n After Canada’s match with Switzerland, Kennedy apologized to the young Canadian curlers who look up to him, understanding his choice of words probably weren’t the best.<\/p>\n “I probably could have handled myself better in the moment,” Kennedy said. “My whole life I’ve been a little bit like that if my integrity gets questioned. … I know I’m a role model for Canadian curlers, so if I apologize at all it’s to the young curlers around the country.”<\/p>\n In light of Kennedy\u2019s profane exchange with Sweden, World Curling \u2014 the world governing body for curling, released statements Saturday trying to clarify the rules, exactly.<\/p>\n The crux of the matter is once a stone is released, you\u2019re not allowed to touch it after it passes the hog line, something World Curling said Canada was in no violation of<\/a> during Friday\u2019s match with Sweden.<\/p>\n However, in an attempt to further clarify what a “proper release” is, World Curling sent out a statement labelling what players are and aren\u2019t allowed to do.<\/p>\n The most notable rule clarification in regards to this situation reads as follows:<\/p>\n \u201cA stone must be delivered by using the handle of the stone. Touching the granite at any time during the forward motion is not allowed and considered a touched moving stone which results in the stone being removed from play.\u201d<\/p>\n For his blow-up, Kennedy was issued a \u201cverbal warning\u201d by World Curling.<\/p>\n This whole situation has ruffled feathers within Curling Canada, including the organization\u2019s CEO Nolan Thiessen.<\/p>\n Speaking to media Saturday morning, Thiessen made it clear that Kennedy and the rest of Canada’s men’s curlers are against cheating.<\/p>\n