Curling at the Winter Olympics is always a fan-favorite event, but its viral popularity reached new heights thanks to a heated confrontation between Team Canada and Team Sweden at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Games.
Canada curler Marc Kennedy was accused of cheating by the Swedes, with accusations that Kennedy was giving a second touch of the stone after the hogline, a green line that the stone must be released by. In a slow-motion replay, Kennedy does appear to touch the stone with his finger, but he was not happy with the cheating claims.
That led to an expletive-filled, NSFW rant from Kennedy that had social media buzzing.
“I don’t like being accused of cheating after 25 years on tour and four Olympic Games,” Kennedy said after the match. “He’s still accusing us of cheating, and I didn’t like it. So I told him where to stick it, because we’re the wrong team to do that to. So I don’t care. He might have been upset that he was losing.”
After the viral exchange, World Curling spoke to Canadian officials and issued a verbal warning for the language used by Kennedy. Canada was warned that any further inappropriate behavior would result in additional sanctions.
Verbal warning for inappropriate conduct
“Improper conduct, foul or offensive language, equipment abuse, or wilful damage on the part of any team member is prohibited, the World Curling rulebook reads.
“Any violation may result in suspension of the offending person(s) by the curling organization having jurisdiction.”
Canada came out on top of Sweden in the preliminary rounds and continues its run in the Milan-Cortina Games on Saturday, February 14, against Switzerland. Sweden, meanwhile, returned to action against China on Saturday morning.
Feb 23, 2018; Gangneung, South Korea; Ben Hebert (CAN), Marc Kennedy (CAN), and Brent Laing (CAN) react in the mens bronze medal match against Switzerland during the Pyeongchang 2018 Olympic Winter Games at Gangneung Curling Centre. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images
