Canadians’ mild-mannered reputation was on the way out after we went elbows up last year, but there’s nothing like a curling controversy to really cement our change in temperament.
Allegations of cheating were levelled at the Milano-Cortina Olympics in February — first against Canada’s men’s team then against the women.
Now, a new video from Swedish curler Oskar Eriksson is adding fresh fuel to one of the most debated moments of Olympic curling.
The Olympic controversy over the alleged double-touching began during a match when Eriksson, the third for skip Niklas Edin, accused Canadian curler Marc Kennedy of breaking the rules by touching the granite of the stone with his finger after he let go of the rock.
In the video circulated last week by Swedish media outlet SVT, Eriksson demonstrates a double-touch — when a player makes contact with a stone after release — to show how he says it can alter a shot’s trajectory.
The 34-year-old can be seen gliding along the ice, broom in hand, as he releases a stone, then gives it a kind of boop with his index finger.
WATCH | What happened with Canada and curling?:
Canada’s Olympic curling controversy, explained
Team Canada’s men’s and women’s Olympic curling teams found themselves at the centre of a controversy after the Sweden’s men’s and Switzerland women’s teams accused Canada of double touching the rock last Friday and Saturday. Both Team Rachel Homan and Team Brad Jacobs have denied the allegations. Former Olympic curling champion Jennifer Jones explains the cheating accusations and what they mean.
“At our level, just altering a stone by five centimetres on the other side, knowing how little you need to do to make that correction, is also a skill,” Eriksson says during the demonstration.
In February, Kennedy bristled at the suggestion that there was deliberate cheating and let Eriksson know it, adding “you can f*** off,” which was caught on his hot mic.
Small touch, big debate
The heated exchange, followed by the release of covertly captured footage of Kennedy grazing the stone after release with his index, caused a firestorm, dividing audiences and raising questions about rules, interpretation and sportsmanship. But it’s also proven to be one heck of a publicity stunt for a sport that’s known as a gentlemen’s game.
“I’m not taking anything away from the fact that they are good curlers. But I wish they had just chosen to play the same way that all other teams try to do,” Eriksson says in the video. “Evil unfortunately wins sometimes.”
The video is only available in Sweden but was leaked to Reddit — including what appears to be glitchy AI-generated subtitles — where Canadian curling fans took notice and issue with Eriksson’s comments and presentation. SVT shared the video with CBC.
Canadian curling commentator John Cullen, author of Curling Rocks!: Chronicles of the Roaring Game and host of the the CBC podcast Broomgate: A Curling Scandal, says the reaction to the video of Eriksson is overblown.
“I think people are kind of jumping down Oskar’s throat about it,” Cullen said. “It became this massive story for the Swedish television network. So of course, when Oscar gets home from the Olympics, they’re going to want to shoot something with him.”
Canada’s Marc Kennedy poses with his medal after Team Canada, skipped by Brad Jacobs, took gold for men’s curling at the 2026 Winter Olympics in February. (Misper Apawu/The Associated Press)
Lost in translation?
He also believes the nuances of Eriksson’s comment about “evil” winning is somewhat lost in translation.
“He’s kind of joking,” said Cullen, who consulted with some Swedish curling friends for interpretation of the video.
“Oskar has a pretty good sense of humour and he’s just sort of like a flippant guy in general.”
“To see kind of like how seriously the Canadian team has been taking it has been very interesting,” Cullen added, referring to bellicose reactions of Kennedy and his teammates after Eriksson’s accusation at the Olympics.
Cullen is one of several Canadian curling experts interviewed by CBC after the incident in February who argued that double-touching doesn’t provide much advantage to curlers.
While he agrees with Eriksson that Kennedy may have committed a rule violation, Cullen takes issue with Eriksson’s re-enactment of it.
“That was over the top for me,” Cullen said. “It’s not the same movement, in my view.”
WATCH | John Cullen breaks down the double-touching controversy:
What happened? Breaking down the Canada–Sweden men’s curling clash
After the 9th end of a men’s curling matchup between Canada and Sweden, Sweden’s Oskar Eriksson said he believed Canadian players touched the stone a second time after releasing the handle. Canadian vice Marc Kennedy responded with a profanity-laced retort directed at Eriksson. CBC’s curling contributor John Cullen joined us to break down the tense exchange and rules of the sport.
Eugene Hritzuk, a Canadian curler based in Saskatoon who has been involved in competitive curling and coaching for more than 60 years, agrees.
“I don’t think there’s anything in that video that supports the idea that anything very wrong happened,” Hritzuk said over the phone Sunday.
Hritzuk argues that Eriksson’s premise rests on a misunderstanding of the rules. Under World Curling regulations, a player is allowed to double touch the stone during delivery, as long as it happens before the hog line.
Adjustments to speed and line, whether through the wrist, elbow or even fingers, are a normal part of release mechanics, he said, and don’t constitute an unfair advantage.
In his view, the idea that a light touch at release could meaningfully alter a shot at the elite level is overstated and may even backfire on a curler who tries it.
Hritzuk also points out that the debate over double-touching isn’t new. Similar concerns were examined decades ago, when the sport ultimately determined there was no competitive advantage and that policing such a rule would be impractical.
He suggests the Olympic dispute may have been misdirected, with officials focusing on release mechanics rather than the more clear-cut possibility of a violation after the hog line.
In his social media circles, Hritzuk has witnessed strong backlash against Eriksson for his accusation against Kennedy, but he also believes the Canadian team’s defensiveness “wasn’t handled well.” He believes Eriksson may have been trying to “save face” with the re-enactment.
CBC reached out to Marc Kennedy via email Thursday for his reaction to the video of Eriksson, but did not hear back.
Sweden curlers, from left, Alexander Lindström Simon Olofsson, Christoffer Sundgren, Rasmus Wranaa, Oskar Eriksson, and Niklas Edin celebrate winning the gold medal match against Canada at the curling world championships on Saturday. (Tyler Tate/The Associated Press)
“Both of them are in the wrong,” he said. “Curling is a gentlemen’s game,” that heavily relies on self-regulation, but Hritzuk says World Curling may have to look at officiating the game more closely as the sport expands.
Hritzuk says a local club in Saskatchewan had its biggest open-house ever during the Olympics.
“Overall, this has been very good for the sport,” he said.
As for Canada’s mild manners, he agrees Kennedy’s reaction may have fallen outside the typical “please-and-thank-you” etiquette we’re known for, but he doesn’t think it means we’ve gone full villain-mode.
Still, the Swedes may have gotten the last word. Saturday, the Canadian team skipped by Matt Dunstone fell 9-6 to Sweden in the men’s world curling championship with Eriksson part of Niklas Edin’s winning team.
