Curling, not figure skating or ice hockey, has become the focal point at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympics. The controversy began with a very slight touch, enough to create a stir in the winter sports community.

On 13/2, in a men's group stage match, Canada defeated Sweden 8-6. However, the victory was overshadowed by accusations from Sweden that athlete Marc Kennedy touched the stone again after releasing it.

Marc Kennedy lightly touches the curling stone with his index finger after crossing the hog line during the Canada versus Sweden men's curling group stage match at the Winter Olympics, held at the Ghiaccio arena in Cortina, Belluno province, Veneto, Italy, on 13/2. *Screenshot*.

According to international rules, athletes may only touch the handle during delivery and must release the stone before the hog line. After releasing it, they are not allowed to touch the stone again. If violated, the stone is removed from play.

Television footage captured Kennedy extending his index finger to lightly touch the stone just as it left his hand and crossed the hog line. Swedish athlete Oskar Eriksson considered this a rule violation. However, the referee did not penalize Canada.

Kennedy reacted aggressively on the ice, using expletives and demanding the opponents stop making baseless accusations. After the match, the Canadian athlete asserted he did not cheat and suggested the Swedish team might have pre-planned to catch Canada in a foul. Despite this, the World Curling Federation (World Curling) only cautioned Kennedy for unprofessional conduct, without issuing an official cheating ruling.

Kennedy's alleged cheating incident.

The following evening, Canada's women's team faced a similar situation. In a match against Switzerland, athlete Rachel Homan was determined by the referee to have touched the stone again while it was in motion. This time, the referee intervened, and the stone was immediately removed from play.

Homan reacted on the ice with surprise, asserting that she did not touch the stone twice. However, the referee's decision at the time of play is final, as the sport does not use a video review system to overturn rulings.

The fact that both Canadian men's and women's teams faced similar suspicions within two days made the story the hottest topic at this year's Winter Olympics. On social media platform X, videos of Kennedy's and Homan's actions garnered millions of views. Images of Kennedy's finger were also edited into memes, attracting significant attention.

In curling, two teams take turns sliding nearly 20 kg granite stones across an approximately 45 m ice sheet, aiming for a target circle at the end of the rink. In each end, each team throws 8 stones. The team with the stone closest to the center scores points, and additional points are awarded for each stone closer to the center than the opponent's closest stone.

The unique aspect of curling lies in its spin. When delivering the stone, athletes impart a spin to make it curve left or right. Two teammates sweep the ice ahead to reduce friction, helping the stone travel farther and curve less. Even minor changes in the release angle or amount of spin can significantly alter the final trajectory.

Therefore, a very slight touch after releasing the stone can create minor adjustments in direction or speed. While the actual impact is difficult to determine, rules prohibit any interference after the stone has left the hand. The spirit of self-reporting is also highly valued, similar to billiards, where athletes often admit fouls before referees detect them.

The issue lies in the lax monitoring system. World Curling admitted that referees cannot observe every stone delivery. There is no video assistant referee (VAR), and referees do not stand at the hog line. Following the incidents, the organization decided to deploy two additional referees to move between rinks to monitor deliveries more closely.

Eriksson stated he had previously suspected similar conduct from Canada in earlier competitions and only wanted to ensure fair play. He mentioned he had informed the referee before tensions escalated. Meanwhile, Kennedy maintained he never entered the rink with the intention to cheat.

Xuan Binh (according to Fox News, CNN, AP)