Winter Olympics 2026: Can you believe it? Another Canadian curling team accused of same rule violation - 'That's insane'
Updated 15/02/2026 at 14:53 GMT
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Canada's women's curling team were penalised for double-touching in their round-robin match against Switzerland, the incident bizarrely coming a day after the men's team were accused of the same violation. The men's team escaped punishment, but women's skip Rachel Homan was adjudged to have touched the stone after releasing it. Homan was adamant she was innocent, describing the ruling as "insane".
Watch: 'That's insane!' - MORE curling drama as Canada demand 'proof' over stone removal
Video credit: TNT Sports
There has certainly been no shortage of drama inside the curling arena at the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics, live on TNT Sports and discovery+.
And at the heart of it - again - were Canada. The men’s team were accused of cheating in a fiery round-robin clash with Sweden, which sparked an expletive-laden exchange on the ice. And the Canadian women’s team came under fire for the same violation just a day later.
Specifically, Rachel Homan, skip for Canada’s women’s curling team, was penalised for touching the stone after releasing. It’s known as "double-touching" and is not permitted in the rules.
This came after Sweden’s Oskar Eriksson claimed that Canada’s Marc Kennedy had also touched his stone after releasing and after the hog line in the men’s round-robin clash between the two sides on Friday.
Kennedy, who was not penalised for any wrongdoing, took exception and told Eriksson to "f*** off" in a foul-mouthed back-and-forth that showed just how much tension the athletes are feeling as they compete for the ultimate prize.
"Apparently it’s alright touching the rock after the hog line," Eriksson said to Kennedy.
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'You can f*** off!' - Curling beef erupts over cheating accusations
Video credit: TNT Sports
"Who?" Kennedy asked.
"It’s a couple," Eriksson replied, before things got heated.
"Who? I haven’t done it once. You can f*** off," came the Canadian’s stinging retort.
There are electronic devices in the handles of the stones, which flash if the player is still in contact after the hog line. But that technology did not deter Eriksson, who told Kennedy he had video evidence of the infringement.
In the end, Canada won 8-6, but the dispute continued long after the result had been confirmed.
Remarkably, Team Canada’s women’s curlers then found themselves in a similar situation in the first end of their encounter against Switzerland.
"Absolutely not," Homan said, after learning she had been accused of double-touching.
In reply, an official confirmed "one of the umpires called it" before saying "we need to remove them [the stones]."
Confused, Homan reiterated there was a "0% chance" she touched her stone after releasing it.
"There’s no way. I’d love to see a video," Homan continued. "There’s no way. That’s insane. I’ve never done that in my life."
"I think if you’re going to call that you have to show video proof," Sarah Wilkes, one of Homan’s team-mates, added.
"I guess there’s nothing we can do."
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Trying to get further clarity on the matter with a separate official, Wilkes said: "They’re saying she touched the granite, and she didn’t."
"Yes, but we have to go by the observation of the umpire in place in that position," the official replied. "So there’s really no appeal to it. If they feel that they did, then they did. We don’t have a replay option."
Canada’s Emma Miskew then asked: "Everyone has phones. Can you do the replay option? I’m right beside her and didn’t see her double-touch the rock. I would say if I saw it."
But the official reaffirmed there was nothing that could be done. "I understand how you feel, but we have to respect that the umpire is there to interpret the situation."
Switzerland prevailed 8-7 in the end, handing Canada a third loss from their four matches. And Homan was still unhappy with the call after the game.
"I don’t understand the call. I’ll never understand it. We’ve never done that," she said. "It has nothing to do with us."
Watch every event of Milano Cortina 2026 live on discovery+. Available across all subscription plans, starting at £3.99.
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