Curling Scandal: Italy 2026 Cheating Allegations

In mid-February 2026, the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics have been rocked by a high-stakes cheating scandal in the curling events. What began as a heated exchange between Canada and Sweden on Friday has escalated into a tournament-wide crisis, involving multiple nations and emergency “spot checks” by international regulators.

At the center of the storm is the “double-touching” violation—an illegal move where a player makes secondary contact with the granite stone after the initial release.

The “Double-Touch” Controversy

The scandal erupted on February 13, 2026, during a men’s round-robin match between Canada and Sweden.

• The Allegation: Sweden’s Oskar Eriksson accused Canada’s Marc Kennedy of touching the rock after his release. While the stone’s electronic sensors did not trigger a “hog line violation,” the Swedes argued that Kennedy touched the granite itself rather than the sensor-equipped handle.

• The “F-Bomb” Incident: The confrontation turned personal when Kennedy responded to the allegations with an expletive-laden outburst. While World Curling did not penalize the team for the touch, it issued a formal warning to Canada for “abusive language.”

• Widening Net: By Sunday, February 15, the controversy expanded. Both Canadian skip Rachel Homan and British curler Bobby Lammie had stones removed from play after on-ice officials—deployed specifically to monitor for this infraction—ruled they had double-touched their rocks.

Technological Failures & The Digital Push

The scandal has exposed significant gaps in current Olympic monitoring tools, leading to calls for a “Hawk-Eye” or “VAR-style” digital overhaul for the sport.

• Unreliable Sensors: Current stones use electronic handles that flash red if a hand is on the sensor past the hog line. However, they cannot detect contact with the stone’s granite body.

• Lack of Video Review: Unlike most modern sports, World Curling currently does not use video replays to adjudicate in-game fouls. Officials have stated that “decisions made during a game are final,” even when social media footage appears to contradict on-ice rulings.

• The “Untrained” Official Claims: Canadian coach Paul Webster criticized the sudden introduction of human “spotters” at the hog line, calling the officials “untrained” and the enforcement “despicable” and “premeditated.”

Partisan & International Fallout