The ‘cheating’ accusations, secret filming, and curling scandal engulfing the Winter Olympics

Controversy has erupted successful nan curling astatine nan Winter Olympics, pinch Great Britain dragged into nan explosive fallout pursuing cheating accusations against nan Canadian team.

On Friday, Canada’s men’s broadside was accused by Sweden of breaking nan rules by many times double-touching nan curling chromatic aft release, starring to committedness words being exchanged connected nan ice.

After Canada denied nan claims, nan team’s third, Marc Kennedy, responded by furiously insisting, “I haven’t done it once. You tin f*** off”. Footage of Kennedy clearing rubbing nan chromatic aft merchandise later went viral.

The play escalated complete nan play erstwhile Canada’s women’s squad were penalised for nan aforesaid infringement successful nan first extremity of their lucifer against Switzerland, arsenic stunned skip Rachel Homan protested her innocence.

Then, amid accrued surveillance from nan umpires, Team GB’s Bobby Lammie was besides flagged for a double touch successful nan penultimate extremity of their 9-4 triumph complete Germany connected Sunday.

World champions Great Britain play Canada, a renowned curling heavyweight, successful a crunch lucifer connected Tuesday arsenic nan round-robin reaches its business end, pinch this contention still very overmuch successful nan spotlight successful Cortina.

What is simply a double touch and what are nan rules?

Following nan contention during nan Canada-Sweden match, World Curling issued a reminder to nan competing teams, clarifying nan rules of “proper release” erstwhile delivering nan stone.

World Curling said: “When delivering a stone, earlier nan hog statement players tin retouch nan grip arsenic galore times arsenic they wish. However, rubbing nan grip aft nan hog statement is not allowed and will consequence successful nan chromatic being removed from play.

“During guardant motion, rubbing nan granite of nan chromatic is not allowed. This will consequence successful nan chromatic being removed from play. Violation of this rule, will consequence successful nan chromatic being removed from play.”

Canada’s men’s squad firmly denied nan accusation of cheating, moreover arsenic nan footage of Kennedy rubbing nan chromatic pinch a lingering digit connected nan hog statement aft merchandise went viral connected societal media.

“If personification said to you, ‘Hey, do you double-touch each nan time?’ I honestly, successful that divided 2nd of a moment, I couldn’t moreover show you if I do aliases not,” Kennedy said.

Per nan rules, giving nan granite of nan chromatic a deliberate prod aft its merchandise to correct its people would beryllium cheating – but nan truth you tin retouch nan grip earlier nan hog statement intends location is immoderate nuance.

Canada’s women’s squad said they had been swept up successful nan accusations, pursuing nan heated speech involving nan men’s squad connected Friday and nan online large wind it created.

Homan said: “I deliberation nan connection cheating came retired of nowhere. It has thing to do pinch cheating. There's nary chance that Canadians would ever intentionally cheat.”

“It evidently was for illustration a heated infinitesimal betwixt 2 players that blew it up. We had thing to do pinch that,” said Canada’s 2nd Emma Miskew. “So we felt for illustration we were brought into a business that we had nary portion in.”

Increased officiating – past a climbdown

World Curling does not person a VAR-style video replay strategy to re-umpire crippled decisions, while rulings made during a crippled are last and cannot beryllium overturned.

After nan controversy, World Curling did merchandise a connection informing teams that, while it was “not possible” to person crippled umpires stationed astatine each hog line, 2 officials would move betwixt each 4 sheets and observe immoderate deliveries.

It resulted successful uproar, however, pinch athletes and teams furious astatine really their deliveries were being overly scrutinised, astatine a level ne'er earlier seen astatine a awesome world tournament.

That apt explains why Canada’s women’s squad and Great Britain’s men were truthful quickly flagged pursuing Friday’s controversy. It was besides unclear if officials were watching immoderate nations much intimately than others.

So, World Curling reversed its determination to summation officiating pursuing a gathering pinch nan competing nationalist organisations. Instead, teams could petition that an umpire observes nan different team, for a minimum of 3 ends.

Were Sweden spying? And what happens next?

One of nan mysteries of nan full saga is really Sweden were truthful convinced that Canada were blameworthy of a “double touch”. During nan heated speech betwixt nan teams, Oskar Eriksson told his Canadian opponents: “I'll show you nan video after.”

The video appearing to show a clear double-touch by Kennedy past circulated connected societal media, pinch it emerging from Swedish nationalist broadcaster SVT, starring Kennedy to declare nan full contention was “premeditated” by nan Sweden team.

“They’ve travel up pinch a scheme to drawback teams successful nan act,” Kennedy said, which adds different layer. Were Sweden secretly filming their opponents?

After beating Sweden 8-6 connected Friday, Canada mislaid to Switzerland 9-5 successful their only crippled connected Saturday earlier rebounding pinch a 6-3 triumph complete China and a 8-2 thrashing of Czech Republic.

On Tuesday, Canada will play Great Britain successful a lucifer that could find which federation goes done to nan semi-finals and keeps their badge hopes alive, aft world champions, Team GB, suffered a daze conclusion to Norway.

Bruce Mouat’s broadside person now mislaid 3 matches and they will apt person to hit Canada. Meanwhile, this fierce fury connected crystal is not cooling down.