Winter Olympics 2026: Oskar Eriksson keeps curling controversy alive as Marc Kennedy prepares for gold medal match

The cheating row at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina is still not cooling down. Swedish curler Oskar Eriksson has once again spoken out against Canadian veteran Marc Kennedy, even as Canada prepares to play Great Britain for the gold medal. The drama began during their preliminary-round match, when Eriksson accused Kennedy of “double touching” his stone, meaning he believed Kennedy touched the rock again after releasing it.

Referees reviewed the situation during Canada’s 8–6 win over Sweden and decided no rule had been broken. Still, the moment exploded into a heated exchange on the ice. World Curling later gave Kennedy a verbal warning for “inappropriate language.” Now, days later, Eriksson says he stands by what he saw and believes Kennedy’s reaction says everything.

Oskar Eriksson questions Marc Kennedy’s response as double-touch controversy spreads at Winter Olympics

Speaking to Swedish outlet Värmlands Folkblad, Oskar Eriksson made it clear he is not backing down. “You don’t react like that if you know you’re not guilty. I don’t think he slept as well that night as I did. If he now chooses to think he did the right thing, he will have to take responsibility for it,” Eriksson said.

He also claimed Kennedy avoided eye contact afterward. “He hasn’t dared to look in my direction. He’s probably ashamed. Mature for a 44-year-old father of two,” Eriksson added.

Marc Kennedy had earlier defended himself strongly. After the match, he suggested Sweden had planned to catch him at the hog line. “They have come up with a plan here at the Olympics, as far as I know, to catch teams in the act at the hog line,” Kennedy said. “This was planned… it was kind of evident that something was going on, and they were trying to catch us in an act.”



Kennedy and Canadian coach Paul Webster also questioned whether Sweden had been filming deliveries. However, officials confirmed no rule violation occurred during the game.

Television replays showed why Eriksson may have raised concerns, but referees stood by their decision. The tension did not stop with the men’s teams.

In women’s curling, Canada’s Rachel Homan had a stone removed after an umpire ruled she touched it again after release. World Curling had placed extra officials between matches to closely monitor for double touches.

Team Great Britain was also involved in a similar moment when Bobby Lammie’s stone was removed during a round-robin game against Germany after an umpire stepped in.

With Canada now heading into the gold medal match, the debate around double touching and fair play remains one of the biggest talking points of the Milan-Cortina Games.



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