Curling rules and sweep explanation
Learn how Olympic curling works, from positions to overall strategy, in this fast-talker from USAT’s Sam Cardona Norberg.
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milan — Cheating allegations are rocking the world of men’s curling after Sweden accused Canada of intentionally breaking rules during Canada’s 8-6 win in qualifying for the 2026 Winter Olympics.
Team Sweden’s Niklas Edin accused Team Canada’s Brad Jacobs of double-touching Stone during a qualifying round match at the Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium on Friday, February 13th. Tensions escalated between the teams and a NSFW exchange ensued, resulting in a verbal warning from World Curling.
After first asking who, Kennedy replied, “I’ve never done it. (Expletive) You can quit.” Erickson said he would show Kennedy “the video after the game,” to which Kennedy responded, “No (expletive).”
The heated exchange began when Sweden’s No. 3 Oscar Eriksson told Canada’s No. 3 Mark Kennedy, an Olympic gold medalist at the 2010 Vancouver Games, “Apparently, it’s okay to touch a rock after a row of pigs.”
Following the accusations, World Curling said authorities would monitor opponents’ deliveries more closely in the future.
“It is not possible in World Curling to have an umpire to monitor every hog line for every stone delivery,” the group said in a statement on Saturday. “However, from the afternoon session on Saturday (February 14), two officers will be moving between all four seats and observing deliveries.”
But the double-touch controversy continued on Saturday, when the Canadian women’s team was also called up for the same violation that the men’s team was charged with. Canada’s Rachel Homan was called out for touching a rock during a narrow 8-7 loss to Switzerland. As a result, her first stone was removed, but Homan immediately objected. “I’ve never done it in my life,” Canadian Skip told insiders.
Homan told CBC Olympic after the loss. “They said I touched the stone after they let it go, but that’s so far from the truth, it’s crazy… They’re just making something up, I don’t know. We have maple leaves on our backs, I don’t know.”
World Curling released another statement on Sunday, February 15 regarding the deployment of umpires. “The two referees who previously actively monitored the delivery of athletes will continue to be on hand at the stadium, but will now only monitor the delivery of athletes at the request of a competitive team.”
Here’s what we know about the men’s curling cheating allegations.
How is Olympic curling played?
Two teams of four people each take turns gliding a 44-pound rock across the ice toward a target that resembles a bull’s-eye. Each match has 6 to 10 rounds called ends. The stone has a handle, so if you let go of the stone, it will curl up on the ice. As the stone slides toward the target, the player brushes the ice in front of the stone. This can affect the direction and speed of the stone.
During each round, teams take turns throwing eight stones, and the team with the stone closest to the center of the target wins. Players can throw guards to block targets, draw to score, or take out to remove their opponent’s stones during each end play. The 2026 Winter Olympics will feature three curling events: men’s curling, women’s curling, and mixed doubles.
What happened in men’s curling between Sweden and Canada?
The Swedish team alerted officials to a potential issue with their opponent’s release during Friday’s matchup, resulting in match referees monitoring Canada’s third-end release violation.
“No violations were recorded during the monitoring period for Friday night’s match,” World Curling said in a statement on Saturday.
Sweden coach Eriksson claimed the Swedish team had video evidence of the distribution problem, but World Curling said video replays “cannot be used to re-referee the decision of the match. Decisions made during the match are final.”
What happened in women’s curling between Canada and Switzerland?
Less than 24 hours after the drama unfolded in Canada’s men’s game against Sweden on Friday, Canada captain Rachel Homan’s first stone was removed from the ice by officials for a double-touch violation in Saturday’s game against Switzerland. The umpire placed on the hog line ruled that Homan touched the stone again after his release. The Canadian team disputed the decision with referee Brett Waldorf and requested a video replay, which is not available for curling.
“Absolutely not,” Homan said of the violation, adding there was “zero percent” chance of double-touching.
The stone was eventually removed, even though Canadian second Emma Miskew and lead Sarah Wilkes continued to protest the call. After his next pitch, Homan told officials, “It’s the same as the last pitch. It’s unreal.”
The Canadian women lost the match, falling to 1 win and 3 losses. “Obviously it’s upsetting. We fought hard, but we lost by one point in overtime. It’s just unfortunate that it had to happen,” Homan said of the violation, telling CBC Olympic.
Is double touch allowed in curling?
According to the World Curling rulebook, players may retouch the handle before the hog line (a line parallel to each tee line and extending across the width of the sheet), but are not allowed to touch the handle after the hog line. If violated, the stone will be removed from play.
— Rule R.5(e): “The stone must clearly leave the hand before reaching the destination pig line. If the player fails to do so, the stone will be immediately removed from play by the offering team.”
Players cannot touch granite stones while moving forward. This violation would result in Stone being removed from play.
— Rule R.5(d): Curling stones must be delivered using the handle of the stone.
Curling Canada responds
Canada’s men’s team received a verbal warning for using explicit language during Friday’s game. According to World Curling, Kennedy’s profanity violated Rule R.19, which states: “Inappropriate conduct, foul or offensive language, abuse of equipment, or intentional damage by team members is prohibited. Any violation may result in suspension of the offender by the curling organization having jurisdiction.”
Curling Canada said the players displayed “passion” during a “highly competitive” match, but said the organization upheld the warning.
“We would like to reaffirm that Curling Canada fully supports our sport’s core values of fair play, respect and sportsmanship,” the statement reads. “We are grateful for the support and enthusiasm of curling fans around the world and look forward to continuing to cheer and support Team Canada on their trip to Cortina.”
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