Winter Olympics star loses it in interview as cheating scandal erupts | Other | Sport
Canada’s Marc Kennedy in action during the men’s curling round robin session against the United States, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, Friday, Feb. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Fatima Shbair) (Image: AP)
Canadian Winter Olympic curling veteran Marc Kennedy lost his composure with a reporter following accusations of cheating from Swedish rival Oskar Eriksson. Sweden’s Eriksson alleged that Canadian Kennedy breached the hog line by touching his stone after release, creating friction on the ice.
The row intensified during the ninth end when Kennedy, equipped with a lapel microphone as all curlers are, yelled at Eriksson to “f*** off,” leaving spectators stunned and prompting the BBC to issue an apology. It marked an unexpected verbal clash between Kennedy, a 2010 Olympic gold medallist, and Eriksson, who made history as the first curler to secure four Olympic medals.
Throughout the match, both sides requested officials keep watch for hog line infractions.
International Olympic Committee spokesman Mark Adams acknowledged the IOC was aware of the heated confrontation but stated it had no involvement in the matter.
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He also said it remained unclear whether any broadcasting channels had submitted complaints about the explicit language. World Curling subsequently cleared Kennedy in a statement.
“The issue of second touches of the stone, specifically the granite, during the delivery was brought to the umpire’s attention,” World Curling said in a statement.
“Officials spoke with both teams and set game umpires at the hogline to monitor deliveries for three ends, which is the official protocol following this type of complaint. There were no hogline violations or retouches of the stone during the observation.”
However, the controversy has continued to cause a stir at the Winter Olympics, causing Kennedy to lose his temper with a Swedish reporter who questioned the incident after a tense 8-6 victory for the Canadians.
“You’ve never seen two guys have a heated argument before?” he fumed, asking about the reporter’s origin. “Like, is this a personal conversation? I don’t need to defend myself to a news reporter.
“I don’t like being accused of cheating after 25 years on tour and four Olympic Games,” Kennedy added. He pointed out that heated exchanges and profanity are commonplace in other sports.
Canadian curler Marc Kennedy sounded off on a Swedish reporter after being accused of cheating (Image: BBC)
Other members of Canada’s team expressed similar frustrations.
“We’re friends with those guys, I’d buy them a beer any time, no problem,” said Canadian lead Ben Hebert.
“We’re adults, and we’re playing a sport at the Olympic Games, and things got a little heated. They were frustrated they were losing, and we’ve been on the other side of that before … so I understand it.
“It was gamesmanship. They were frustrated, so they were trying to get in our heads a little bit. It didn’t work – we’re 3-0, they’re 0-3. So, it’s OK. Honestly, it wasn’t as big a deal as it sounded on the mics.
“I was just doing what he was doing to us. I think Oskar is one of the best players to ever play the game. He did it to us, I just did it back to him because he was being an idiot.
“It’s OK. I’ve got all the respect in the world for Oskar. He’s a great player. World champ. Olympic champ. He just was frustrated they were losing, and I’ve been there too. So no harm, no foul.”
This article first appeared on Mirror US.
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