Canada's curling team accuses Sweden of filming violation in response to Olympic cheating allegations
Cold weather on the scoreboard has given way to hot tempers at the Milan–Cortina Winter Olympics, where a dispute that began with accusations of on‑ice cheating has expanded into claims that one team tried to record opponents in a restricted area. The exchange has intensified scrutiny of filming practices inside the Cortina curling venue and left officials and competitors navigating a contentious few days on and off the ice.
What Canada alleges
Canadian curlers say tensions flared after Sweden accused the Canadian men’s team of double‑touching stones during a round‑robin match on Feb. 13, 2026 (ET). In turn, members of the Canadian delegation pushed back, accusing Swedish personnel of deliberately filming deliveries at the hog line to catch potential infractions in the act.
"They have come up with a plan here at the Olympics, as far as I know, to catch teams in the act at the hog line, " veteran curler Marc Kennedy told reporters. He described what he called coordinated behavior from Swedish coaches and staff that, in his view, suggested an intention to entrap visiting teams rather than simply monitor play.
Nolan Thiessen, chief executive officer of Canada’s curling governing body, said he was surprised to see live video at the hog line that appeared to be outside standard broadcast setups. "That seems odd to me, " he said, pressing questions about where and how the footage was being captured during competition.
Sweden, broadcasters and Olympic production respond
Sweden’s team has denied any intentional wrongdoing. Team leadership characterized the footage as produced by media present at the venue and said it was not the product of a tactical plan to target opponents. One Swedish skip emphasized that crews have placed cameras near the hog line in recent seasons to help viewers better understand delivery mechanics and marginal calls.
The Olympic production unit on site released a statement clarifying that the particular clip in circulation was not produced by the main host production team. It also reiterated that properly accredited media rights holders are generally permitted to film within Olympic venues under the event’s broadcast framework, a point that complicates assertions that a single team orchestrated an unauthorized operation.
Nevertheless, the dispute has exposed grey areas in practice. Critics argue that live, close‑up coverage at the hog line creates both a perception and a possibility of targeted scrutiny, while defenders say increased camera angles improve transparency for viewers and officials alike.
Women’s game also drawn into controversy
The debate widened when Canada’s women’s team faced similar accusations during a Feb. 14, 2026 (ET) match. Swiss opponents raised the same concern that prompted the earlier men’s confrontation, and the atmosphere on the ice grew more tense as teams and coaches navigated renewed claims of illegal touches and the scrutiny that follows them.
Players and coaches from multiple countries have expressed frustration at how quickly viral clips can shape narratives and impact competition. Officials must now balance the need for fair adjudication with the realities of live and social coverage that can highlight potential infractions in ways previous generations of the sport did not face.
For now, the incident remains under investigation by on‑site referees and event organizers, while the curling community debates whether additional restrictions or clearer guidelines on media placement are needed. As teams prepare for the next rounds of competition, athletes are also pushing for calm on the ice and clarity from governing bodies to prevent future flareups.
The controversy has left one clear outcome: curling’s most scrutinized surface — the hog line — will stay in the spotlight long after the stones come to rest.
