In a dramatic turn of events at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Canada's men's curling team, led by Team Brad Jacobs, experienced its first loss of the competition. The team was handed a decisive 9-5 defeat by a nearly flawless Swiss side, a result that unfolded just hours after a contentious cheating accusation erupted into a major scandal involving Canadian curler Marc Kennedy.
Swiss Dominance on the Ice
The Swiss rink, captained by Yannick Schwaller, delivered an impeccable performance, improving their record to 4-0 in the Olympic bonspiel. They consistently capitalized on opportunities, scoring two points whenever they held the hammer, showcasing strategic precision and skill. Benoit Schwarz-van Berkel of Switzerland emerged as the standout player, achieving an impressive shot success rate of 97 percent, while Kennedy struggled with a rate of just 73 percent, the lowest in the game.
Heated Exchange and Cheating Allegations
The match occurred under heightened scrutiny from World Curling, which had intensified hog-line officiating following an incident in the previous night's game. Sweden's Oskar Eriksson accused Kennedy of double-touching stones during his delivery, sparking a fiery confrontation. In the ninth end, Kennedy, a four-time Olympian, reportedly told Eriksson to "f—k off," escalating tensions and drawing global attention.
World Curling responded by stepping up monitoring for both teams in a tit-for-tat move after Sweden requested increased oversight of the Canadian side, a request Canada reciprocated. Despite the allegations, officials observed no violations during the game against Switzerland, which the Canadian team has interpreted as vindication.
Rule Clarification and Video Evidence
In the aftermath, World Curling issued a clarification of the rules, stating that touching the granite of a moving stone is prohibited and results in its removal from play. This came as videos surfaced online appearing to show Kennedy grazing the granite with his fingertip after releasing the handle, though no official penalties were levied.
Canada, previously undefeated with a 3-0 record, now drops to second place in the standings. The team is set to face China in their next match on Sunday evening, as they aim to rebound from this setback amidst the ongoing controversy.
