Canada's Curling Outcry Over 'Insane' Olympic Decision Amid Cheating Row
Canada's women's curling team has erupted in fury over what they call an "insane" officiating decision at the Winter Olympics, as a fresh cheating controversy engulfs the sport. The incident occurred during Canada's 8-7 extra-end defeat to Switzerland on Saturday, when skip Rachel Homan had a stone removed from play after being charged with double-touching.
Homan's Disbelief and Frustration
In her first delivery of the game, Homan was judged by an official on the sidelines to have touched the stone after release. Reacting with immediate disbelief, Homan exclaimed "absolutely not," but the stone was nevertheless removed. Canada went on to lose the tight match, prompting an irate response from the skip.
"I don't understand the call. I'll never understand it. We've never done that," Homan declared after the defeat. "It has nothing to do with us. Ump shouldn't be in our game. There's no infractions on the women's side at all. It was absurd."
Homan insisted the umpire couldn't have seen the violation clearly from the sidelines and should have reviewed video footage. "My hand did not move when I released it," she implored. "I have no idea what she saw. If she saw something, then look at the video. Go watch it a thousand times. You're going to see nothing. It's frustrating. It's not even a thing."
Background: Sweden's Cheating Accusations
The controversy comes just a day after Sweden's men's team accused Canadian curlers of cheating by double-touching stones during a heated clash on Friday. In response to Sweden's claims, World Curling announced it would station officials by the hog line to monitor for violations throughout the remainder of the Olympics.
World Curling's Clarification and Rule Enforcement
Following the Sweden-Canada men's game, World Curling issued a detailed statement addressing several issues:
- Video Replay: World Curling does not currently use video replay to re-umpire game decisions, with all in-game rulings being final.
- Delivery Violations: Game umpires are positioned at each sheet's end and cannot see every infraction. When alerted to delivery issues, they observe for three ends, though no violations were recorded during Friday's observation period.
- Rule Clarifications: Players may retouch the handle before the hog line, but touching it after the hog line or touching the granite during forward motion results in the stone's removal, per Rules R.5(e) and R.5(d).
- Enhanced Monitoring: Beginning with Saturday's afternoon session, two officials will move between all four sheets to observe deliveries more closely.
- Behavior Warning: World Curling issued a verbal warning to Canadian officials about inappropriate language used by a men's player, with further sanctions possible under Rule R.19 for improper conduct.
Switzerland's Perspective and the Broader Context
Switzerland's skip Silvana Tirinzoni said she didn't witness the incident but acknowledged the umpire's decision. "I don't know if she did do it. But it's a decision that the umpire took and we had no choice than to remove that rock," Tirinzoni stated. "It's a rule that always existed as far as I know. But it has been a big discussion yesterday. They took a closer look today. Apparently, they saw her touching the granite. I don't know if that's true or not."
The controversy adds to a turbulent Winter Olympics for curling, which has seen multiple disputes over rules and conduct. As the competition continues, all eyes will be on how World Curling's enhanced monitoring affects gameplay and whether further incidents arise in this high-stakes environment.
