Canada’s curling squads encounter renewed accusations of rule violations at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, with both the women’s and men’s teams implicated in ‘double-touch’ infractions.

Women’s Team Penalized in Tight Loss to Switzerland

In the women’s round-robin match against Switzerland, officials halted play and removed skip Rachel Homan’s stone from the first end. The umpire determined Homan touched the granite after releasing the handle, breaching curling regulations.3132

Team-mate Emma Miskew challenged the decision, requesting a video review, but rules dictate the on-ice official’s call is final. Switzerland secured an 8-7 victory.

Homan firmly denied the infraction post-match. “Like, absolutely not,” she insisted. “Zero-per-cent chance. I don’t understand the call. I’ll never understand it. We’ve never done that. It has nothing to do with us.”31

Miskew expressed confusion: “It looked like a really good throw to us from the side, so I’m confused at that.”

Men’s Team Clash Follows Similar Accusation

The incident echoes controversy from the previous day, when Sweden’s Oskar Eriksson accused Canada’s Marc Kennedy of double-touching during their men’s matchup. Tensions escalated into a heated exchange, with Kennedy telling Eriksson to “f— off.” Canada prevailed 8-6.32

Video footage circulating online appeared to capture the alleged violation, yet officials monitored subsequent ends and found no infractions. The Canadian men’s team received a verbal warning for language used on the ice.

Canada’s Official Response and Rule Clarification

Curling Canada issued a statement affirming support for fair play. “Officials closely monitored for any release rule infractions, including touching the granite following a complaint by Team Sweden,” it noted. “After three ends of careful observation, no hogline violations or stone retouches were found.” The organization acknowledged the language warning and reiterated commitment to sportsmanship.31

World Curling emphasized the rule: During forward motion, players may not touch the stone’s granite, resulting in removal from play.32

Both Canadian teams now face heightened scrutiny as they navigate playoff contention amid technique questions and rival tensions.