## Curling Controversy Rocks the 2026 Winter Olympics: A Look at the Canadian Team’s Challenges
By [Your Name]
The Canadian men’s curling team at the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games has faced a whirlwind of challenges, but emerged stronger, securing a crucial 6-3 victory over China on Sunday night. However, the win came amidst a larger controversy surrounding officiating and accusations of unfair play, sparking debate throughout the curling world.
### The Initial Spark: Accusations and Altercations
The drama began on Friday night with a heated on-ice exchange between Canadian third Marc Kennedy and Swedish third Oskar Eriksson. Eriksson accused Kennedy of illegally double-touching the stones during delivery. This led to a verbal altercation, with Kennedy reportedly telling Eriksson to “f–k off” multiple times. Eriksson later claimed to have video evidence supporting his accusations, which was subsequently shared by Swedish media.
This incident prompted World Curling to station two umpires across all four sheets of ice, beginning Saturday afternoon, to closely monitor deliveries. This decision, however, quickly proved contentious.
### Questionable Calls and Rising Tensions
Almost immediately, the increased scrutiny led to controversial calls. Rachel Homan, skip of the Canadian women’s team, had her first rock of Saturday evening’s game against Switzerland removed by an umpire, squandering a potential two-point advantage. Homan expressed her frustration, calling the decision “unbelievable.” The Canadian women ultimately lost the game 8-7, falling to a 1-3 record.
Brad Jacobs, skip of the Canadian men’s team, was even more critical, describing the disqualification as “despicable.” He voiced concerns that the Canadian team was being unfairly targeted. “To go out and pull her rock like that, I think it was a tragedy,” Jacobs stated.
Third Marc Kennedy echoed these sentiments, highlighting the difficulty athletes face when being asked to alter their established techniques mid-competition. “It’s unfortunate that we have athletes having to change their release mid-event of the Olympics – the same release they’ve been working on for eight or 10 years,” he said.
### Concerns Over Umpire Training and Consistency
Canadian coach Paul Webster acknowledged the validity of Sweden’s initial complaints but criticized World Curling’s decision to address the issue during the Olympics. He argued that the problem should have been resolved long before the games began.
“If you listen to what Sweden said, I think they’re right,” Webster explained. “This has been a problem that they’ve tried to identify to our international federation, and it wasn’t acted on.”
Webster also raised serious concerns about the training and preparedness of the umpires. “We have untrained people doing things they’ve never done before… We’re at the Olympics. We’ve had four years to prepare.” He questioned whether the international federation was matching the effort put in by the teams.
He further illustrated the difficulty of accurately judging double-touches, stating, “I would challenge everyone with their iPhone to set it up at the curling club… and then you tell me without a doubt if they did it. You can’t.”
### A Wider Issue and a Shift in Approach
The issue wasn’t limited to Canada. Great Britain’s Bobby Lammie also had a stone disqualified against Germany on Sunday morning. While Jacobs was relieved to see Canada wasn’t alone in facing scrutiny, he still maintained that the umpire’s decision was incorrect.
Fortunately, World Curling reversed its deployment of the extra umpires before the Sunday evening draw. Officials returned to monitoring potential violations only when requested by teams, the standard practice at major curling events.
Kennedy welcomed the change, stating, “If you think somebody’s violating, you bring somebody out to take a look. I think that’s a step in the right direction.”
### Looking Ahead: Resilience and Determination
The Canadian men’s team, now with a 4-1 record, sits second in the standings behind undefeated Switzerland. They are scheduled to play winless Czechia on Monday afternoon and then face a challenging matchup against Great Britain on Tuesday night.
Despite the controversy, the team remains focused and determined. Kennedy believes the challenges may even prove beneficial. “There’s opportunity in crisis… maybe there’s a blessing in disguise.”
Coach Webster summed up the Olympic experience, stating, “Honestly, we always call the Olympics a five-ring circus. You just don’t know what ring you’re going to be in.”
**Further Reading:**
* [World Curling Federation](https://www.worldcurling.org/)
* [Team Canada – Curling](https://www.curling.ca/)
Lead photo by Anil Mungal/TCG
