Take 2: Video from Swedish curler demos touch-double and dominates Olympic debate
Canada’s reputation for humanity was on the way out after we went up on our elbows last year, but there’s nothing like a strong argument to cement our change in attitude.
Allegations of cheating were leveled at the Milano-Cortina Olympics in February – first against the Canadian men’s team and then against the women’s.
Now, a new video from Swedish curler Oskar Eriksson adds new fuel to one of Olympic curling’s most controversial moments.
The Olympic controversy over alleged double-touching began during the match when Eriksson, who is third behind Niklas Edin, accused Canadian thrower Marc Kennedy of breaking the rules by touching the rock with his finger after releasing the rock.
In a video broadcast last week by Swedish news agency SVT, Eriksson demonstrates a double touch – when a player makes contact with a stone after being released – to show how he says it can change the trajectory of a shot.
The 34-year-old can be seen diving into the snow, broom in hand, as he lets go of a stone, then gives it a kind of boop with his index finger.
Team Canada’s men’s and women’s Olympic running teams have found themselves at the center of controversy after the Swedish men’s and women’s teams in Switzerland accused Canada of touching the rock twice last Friday and Saturday. Both Team Rachel Homan and Team Brad Jacobs denied the allegations. Former Olympic curling champion Jennifer Jones explains cheating allegations and what they mean.
“At our level, changing a stone five centimeters on one side, knowing how little you need to do to fix that, is also a skill,” Eriksson said during the demonstration.
In February, Kennedy was surprised by the suggestion that there had been deliberate cheating and informed Eriksson, adding that “you can fire,” which was caught on his hot microphone.
Small touch, big argument
The heated exchange, followed by the release of candid photos taken of Kennedy gnawing the stone after being released with his guide, caused a firestorm, dividing the audience and raising questions about rules, interpretation and sportsmanship. But it has also been proven that it is a popular sport known as gentlemen’s.
“I’m not taking anything away from the fact that they are good tricksters. But I wish they would have just chosen to play the same way that all the other teams are trying,” Eriksson said in the video. “Evil unfortunately wins sometimes.”
The video is only available in Sweden but was leaked to Reddit – including AI-generated subtitles that appear to make no sense – where Canadian curling fans took note and took issue with Eriksson’s comments and presentation. SVT shared the video with CBC.
Canadian curling commentator John Cullen, author of Curling Rocks!: Chronicles of the Roaring Game and host of the CBC podcast Broomgate: The Curling Scandalhe says the reaction to Eriksson’s video has been overwhelming.
“I think people like to skip the Oscars for it,” Cullen said. “It’s been such a big story for the Swedish television network. So, when Oscar comes home from the Olympics, they’ll want to shoot something with him.”
Lost in translation?
And he believes the nuances of Eriksson’s comments about “bad” wins have been lost in translation.
“He’s a joke,” said Cullen, who interviewed some Swedish converts to translate the video.
“Oskar has a great sense of humor and is just such a dreamy guy.”
“To see how seriously Team Canada was taking this was very interesting,” Cullen added, referring to the reaction of Kennedy and his teammates after Eriksson’s allegations at the Olympics.
Cullen is one of several Canadian experts he spoke with CBC after the incident in February who argued that the double touch does not provide much benefit to the curlers.
Although he agrees with Eriksson that Kennedy may have broken the law, Cullen disputes Eriksson’s repeat actions.
“That was too much for me,” Cullen said. “It’s not the same move, in my opinion.”
After the end of the men’s 9 games between Canada and Sweden, Sweden’s Oskar Eriksson said he believed the Canadian players touched the rock a second time after letting go of the handle. Canadian deputy Marc Kennedy responded with a profanity-laced slur directed at Eriksson. CBC wraps contributor John Cullen joins us to break down the heated exchanges and the rules of the sport.
Eugene Hritzuk, a Canadian thrower based in Saskatoon who has been involved in training and coaching for more than 60 years, agrees.
“I don’t think there’s anything in that video that supports the idea that anything serious happened,” Hritzuk said by phone Sunday.
Hritzuk says Eriksson’s premise rests on a misunderstanding of the rules. Under World Curling rules, a player is allowed to make contact with multiple people with the curler during the delivery, as long as it occurs before the curl line.
Adjusting the speed and line, whether with the arm, elbow or even fingers, is a normal part of the extraction machine, he said, and does not cause a negative benefit.
In his opinion, the idea that a simple touch on the release can meaningfully alter a high-quality shot is entrenched and may backfire on the hurler.
Hritzuk also pointed out that the double-tap debate is not new. Similar concerns were explored decades ago, when sports ultimately decided that there was no competitive advantage and that policing such a rule would not work.
He suggests that the Olympic debate may have been misdirected, when officials focused on freeing the mechanic there is a clearer chance of breaking the law behind the pig line.
In his social circles, Hritzuk saw a strong backlash against Eriksson for his accusations against Kennedy, but he also believes that the defense of the Canadian team “was not handled well.” He believes Eriksson may have been trying to “save face” with the remake.
“They are both wrong,” he said. “Curling is a gentleman’s game,” which relies heavily on self-regulation, but Hritzuk says World Curling may have to look at governing the game more closely as the sport grows.
Hritzuk says a local club in Saskatchewan had a big opening for its venue during the Olympics.
“Overall, this has been very good for sports,” he said.
As for Canada’s gentle manners, he admits that Kennedy’s reaction may have fallen outside the “please-and-thank-you” etiquette he’s known for, but he doesn’t think it means we’ve gone full villain mode.
However, the Swedes may get the last word. On Saturday, Matt Dunstone’s Canadian team beat Sweden 9-6 in the men’s curling world championships with Eriksson part of Niklas Edin’s winning team.
