Controversy is swirling in curling at the Winter Olympics, and it centers on whether the mighty Canadian team is cheating. Both men's and women's teams have now been accused of the same infraction: double-touching the curling stone after it is released, per the AP.
- Men's team: On Friday, Swedish curler Oskar Eriksson accused Canadian curler Marc Kennedy of breaking the rules by touching the rock again after initially releasing it down the sheet of ice. Kennedy blew up, launching an expletive-laden outburst. (See video here.) That was before video appearing to show a clear double-touch by Kennedy circulated on social media, taken by Swedish public broadcaster SVT. Still, he maintained his innocence. The Canadians won the match, 8-6.
- Women's team: Late Saturday, an umpire accused acclaimed Canadian skip Rachel Homan of the same infraction in Canada's match against Switzerland. The umpire stopped play and the stone was removed from play. Homan looked shocked and denied the allegation. Again, video spread on social media appearing to show her double-touch. The Canadians lost to the Swiss, 8-7.
After the uproar, World Curling clarified that double-tapping is not allowed, issuing a statement: "During forward motion, touching the granite of the stone is not allowed. This will result in the stone being removed from play." (See this explainer.) Asked about the footage, Kennedy said: "If somebody said to you, 'Hey, do you double-touch all the time?' I honestly, in that split second of a moment, I couldn't even tell you if I do or not." He then suggested the whole thing might have been "premeditated planning to try to catch us."
Homan, meanwhile, postulated that she was being unfairly targeted because of the controversy on the men's side. "I don't understand the call. I'll never understand it. We've never done that," she said. "It has nothing to do with us." Canada is a curling powerhouse, and both teams are still alive in the medal hunt.
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