Team GB caught up in Winter Olympics ‘dishonest’ scandal after main controversy
Team GB have been caught up in controversy following a ‘cheating’ scandal that has engulfed the curling event in the Winter Olympics and sparked a furious row
Team GB’s curling team have been caught up in a ‘cheating’ storm(Image: TIZIANA FABI, AFP via Getty Images)
Team GB’s men’s curling team have been caught up in the controversy that has engulfed the Winter Olympics curling event, following the removal of a stone due to an alleged double touch.
This rule has been under intense scrutiny since a heated dispute between Canada and Sweden last week. The row erupted when Sweden accused Canadian player Marc Kennedy of double-touching the stones after releasing them.
The allegation prompted a foul-mouthed response from the Canadian, including telling his opponent to “f*** off.” The situation intensified, with subsequent images appearing to confirm a double touch by Canada.
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In reaction to the ‘cheating’ incident, World Curling released a statement clarifying the rules. “A stone must be clearly released from the hand before it reaches the hog line at the delivery end,” they declared.
“If the player fails to do so, the stone is immediately removed from play by the delivering team. If a hog line violation stone is not immediately removed and strikes another stone.
“The delivered stone must be removed from play by the delivering team, and any displaced stones are replaced, by the non-offending team, to their positions prior to the violation taking place.”
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It seems this incident has led to officials enforcing the rules more rigorously, which proved unfortunate for Team GB in their match against Germany on Sunday. During the ninth end of the match, Team GB had one of their stones taken out of the house after Bobby Lammie was alleged to have touched the granite after release.
Follow-up footage showed his finger inadvertently making contact with the stone. Despite the blow, Team GB accepted the sanction without complaint and went on to clinch a 9-4 win, edging them nearer to semi-final qualification. They subsequently pushed Switzerland to an additional end but endured a tight 6-5 loss.
The squad will be back on the ice at 1:05pm on Monday for their upcoming round robin encounter against Norway. Addressing the debate surrounding the sport after his side’s 7-4 success over Czechia at the weekend, Team GB’s Bruce Mouat provided a straightforward view. “Yeah, we do [regulate ourselves], we all know the rules and what is supposed to happen,” he said.
“Marc’s been around for a long time and he knows what’s happening. I think we all trust that fair play is a big thing in our sport and we just hope that everyone sticks to it.
“I’m sure Marc didn’t mean anything by it, he just got caught on TV doing it. It’s a tough situation but it’s out there now and should be regulated by everyone including the athletes. “.
