A heated sequence of incidents over the double-touch rule at the 2026 Winter Olympics swept up Canada, Great Britain and Sweden and forced World Curling to revise monitoring procedures
Flash: the curling competition at the 2026 Winter Olympics has been rocked by a string of contested officiating calls that center on whether players touched the stone after releasing it. The row began in a Sweden–Canada match and quickly drew in high-profile names including Marc Kennedy, Rachel Homan and Bobby Lammie.
Video clips circulated on social media and formal protests followed, prompting officials to remove stones in several games after ruling that contact had occurred beyond the permitted release point.
What happened
– On 16 February, Sweden’s Oskar Eriksson accused Canada’s Marc Kennedy of a “double-touch.” Broadcasters’ footage and fan clips showed what looked like post-release contact; Kennedy denied the claim and used strong language during the confrontation, for which World Curling issued a verbal warning.
– The same standard was applied elsewhere. An umpire took a stone out of play from Canadian skip Rachel Homan during her women’s match; Canada lost that fixture 8–7. In the men’s round-robin match against Germany, Scotland’s Bobby Lammie was judged to have grazed his delivered stone and had it removed, with Bruce Mouat instructed to replace a German stone—Britain still won 9–4.
Why the calls matter
Curling delivery rules allow a player to maintain contact with the handle during the approach as long as that contact ends before the hog line. Any touch after the hog line, or contact with the granite while the player is still moving forward, is forbidden and typically leads to the stone’s removal. Those fine margins make enforcement difficult: umpires must judge quick, subtle movements in real time, and the decision can swing a game.
How officials responded
World Curling reacted by tightening in-venue monitoring mid-Games. Beginning the evening session on 15 February, two officials will be available on the field of play to observe deliveries, but only when teams request their presence; when called, the monitoring must cover at least three ends. Importantly, federation spokespeople stressed that rulings made during play remain final—video will not be used to retroactively overturn decisions. The change aims to bring greater consistency without overreliance on replay.
Athletes’ reactions
Responses ranged from contrition to disbelief. Marc Kennedy said he regretted his language but denied deliberate wrongdoing. Rachel Homan rejected suggestions her team had broken the rule and questioned whether the men’s incident influenced subsequent calls in the women’s event. Bobby Lammie appeared surprised by the removal of his stone and did not formally contest the ruling at the time. Team leaders, including Bruce Mouat, steered attention back to the competition ahead.
What’s next
Competition authorities are conducting an internal review and have asked teams and athletes for statements. Officials say they will examine the incidents for consistency in how the delivery rule is enforced, and further clarifications or rulings may follow before the next sessions. The new, request-based monitoring system will be tested in live play, and the coming matches—especially potential rematches involving Sweden and Canada—will show whether the changes reduce controversy or merely shift how disputes are handled. With heightened scrutiny in place and an ongoing review by World Curling, teams must adapt quickly to the revised protocols and decide promptly whether to call for match-side observation when tensions run high.
