Feb 19, 2026
3 min read
The Canadian curler at the center of allegations at the Winter Olympics says he's not a cheater.Mark Kennedy also suggested his team could be the target of a deliberate attack from rivals Sweden when the curling competition starts in the medal rounds late next week.
It's a double whammy, as Canadian curlers have been accused of illegal handcuffs at the Winter Olympics.
Double trouble as Canadian curlers accused of illegal touching at Winter Olympics
Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy (AP) — The Canadian curler at the center of the embezzlement controversy at the Milan Cortina Olympics insisted Saturday that he did not cheat and said his team could be the target of a "preemptive" attack by Sweden, its biggest rival for the gold medal.
Mark Kennedy admitted he "probably could have handled it better" after getting angry at Swedish goaltender Oscar Eriksson, who accused him of "double-hitting" - he actually touched a rock after throwing it on the ice - during Canada's 8-6 win on Friday night.
However, Kennedy, 44, said that he did not do so and that he did not deliberately go into the snow "with the intention of obtaining an advantage by deception."
A photo circulating online appears to show Kennedy breaking the curling rule by touching a granite rock with an outstretched finger after he released it.When asked about the video, Kennedy said, "Well, I'm not even going to go there. I didn't even know it was a problem before.
"And if someone says to you, 'Hey, do you double-tap all the time?'Honestly, I couldn't even tell you in this second stage whether I'm doing it or not," he said.
He added that he has his own thoughts, suggesting that the whole thing could be "premeditated to try and trap us."
"They came up with a plan to get the team into action," Kennedy said.
The saga has gripped the curling world and has included teams that regularly play each other outside of the Olympics and includes some of the best players in the game.
In the second round late on Saturday night, the Canadian women's team was charged by the game officials with the same double-touch violation, when the seniors skated Rachel Homan in the first round against Switzerland.The Canadian fans looked incredulous and furious.
"Zero percent chance," Homan said before the game resumed.
Kennedy received a verbal warning from governing body World Curling a day after a wild scuffle with the Swedish team in which a Canadian player repeatedly swore.He has not been formally charged with cheating by World Curling, which does not use video to control the game.
The organization explained that two officials monitored how the players threw stones in the men's session of the tournament on Saturday afternoon, where Canada beat Switzerland 9-5 and China 6-4.
Afterward, Eriksson said he "slept well. I'm not sure about him," referring to Kennedy, and said he chose that moment to criticize allegations that Kennedy broke the rules because he had seen it in the past. Eriksson said he had informed authorities of two previous incidents.
"We want to play a fair and honest game, like you're following the rules," Eriksson said."And if we see something that's not in accordance with the rules, we tell the opponent or the officials. This time we did both."
The accusations kept coming.
During their match with Canada, the Swiss men told the umpires in the middle of the game that they thought a member of the Canadian team was hitting twice, Switzerland coach Glenn Howard said.
Howard is Canadian and a famous and respected curler.
"My whole career, I'd be like, 'Oh, that's OK,'" said Howell, adding that he didn't know what to make of this latest attack.
Before Friday's game, Sweden coach Niklas Edin informed officials about his team's complaints about Kennedy.The official then stayed on the pig line — the thick green line before the curlers must release the stone — for three points to monitor the Canadian curlers, and no violations were found, World Curling said Saturday.
Online footage that appears to show Kennedy touching the stone twice has fans questioning how the video was shot and pointing out that cameras don't usually stay in the hog line.
An employee of Swedish public broadcaster SVT said the channel got the footage because the camera operator moved the camera to the pig line after Sweden raised concerns about the double touch earlier in the game.The camera operator stayed there until he was able to catch Kennedy's throw in the bottom of the eighth.Eriksson said Swedish TV showed him the footage.
AP Olympics: https://hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics
