Canada Wins Men’s Curling Gold, First Since 2014 Canada defeated Great Britain 9‑6 in the men’s final, delivering the nation’s first Olympic‑style curling gold since the 2014 Sochi Games and its seventh overall in the sport [1]. Skip Brad Jacobs led veterans Marc Kennedy, Brett Gallant and Ben Hebert to the victory, while Rachel Homan’s women’s rink captured bronze after a comeback win over the United States [1]. The triumph raised Canada’s total curling medal count at the Milan‑Cortina Games to 14 [1].

Marc Kennedy Accused of Double‑Touch by Sweden Swedish skip Oskar Eriksson claimed Kennedy touched the stone a second time after release during round‑robin play, prompting a profanity‑filled outburst from Kennedy that went viral [1][3]. The same double‑touch allegation later surfaced against women’s skip Rachel Homan, who denied any breach and called the stone removal “insane” after Canada’s 8‑7 loss to Switzerland [3]. Great Britain’s men’s team also faced a similar accusation when curler Bobby Lammie had a stone removed, showing the issue extended beyond Canada [3].

World Curling Federation Responds with Rule Enforcement The World Curling Federation reiterated that any contact with the granite portion of a stone is prohibited and results in removal of the stone [3]. Kennedy received a verbal warning for his language, and officials were briefly stationed at the hog line before the federation reverted to traditional self‑policing [1][3]. No video‑review system was employed, and the federation stopped short of issuing a formal cheating charge [3].

U.S. Curler Korey Dropkin Defends Canadian Team Dropkin told CBS News the double‑touch controversy was “unfortunate” and overblown, emphasizing that such touches have been common among Olympians for years [2]. He praised Kennedy as “one of the greatest curlers of all time,” condemned the foul language used, and expressed empathy for athletes under intense scrutiny [2]. Dropkin’s comments highlighted a broader view that the incident does not reflect systemic cheating [2].

Canadian Public Reaction Mixes Disappointment and Optimism Social media users expressed disappointment, calling the episode a “sad day for Canadian sport,” while others suggested the publicity could boost interest in curling [3]. Commentators warned the allegations could damage Canada’s curling reputation and urged athletes to act as “bigger men and women” [3]. Nonetheless, some observers noted the nation’s strong performance may offset the negative attention [3].