Canada faced new accusations of rule-breaking during a women’s match against Switzerland at the Winter Olympics. The Canadian men’s team also had a heated exchange with Sweden in a game overshadowed by a dispute over alleged double-touching of stones on the ice.
The Swedish team claimed that members of the Canadian team had double-touched stones past the hog line, the designated point for releasing a stone. The controversy continued the following day when Canadian curler Rachel Homan had her stone disqualified for a repeat touch after release, as determined by an official’s ruling.
Despite Homan’s protest on the lack of official replays in World Curling rules, the decision stood. Homan and her teammates expressed frustration and confusion over the ruling, with Emma Miskew stating the throw appeared clean from their perspective.
After the match, Homan remained visibly upset, questioning the decision and asserting their team’s clean record. Curling Canada later addressed the cheating allegations and a player’s use of inappropriate language during the men’s game in a statement emphasizing fair play and respect as core values of the sport.
Although regretting his language choice, player Marc Kennedy defended his team’s integrity against accusations, emphasizing a career-long commitment to fair play and denial of seeking unfair advantages through cheating. Kennedy acknowledged the need to learn from the incident and refocus on the game.
Sky announced a reduced price for its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle ahead of the upcoming season, offering significant savings and a broader coverage of live matches, including over 1,400 matches across various leagues. Sky also plans to broadcast a minimum of 215 live Premier League games in the upcoming season, an increase from previous seasons.