Amid the swirl of Olympic tension and rulebook debates, Sweden’s women’s curlers have thrown their support behind Canada. The controversy began on February 13 when Sweden’s men’s team accused Canada, leading to a heated exchange between Oskar Eriksson and Marc Kennedy on the ice. The debate deepened after Rachel Homan’s stone was disqualified against Switzerland, prompting an unexpected response from Sweden’s Sara McManus.

“Just don’t put your hand there,” McManus told Swedish newspaper Expressen. “It’s surprising to see. I don’t think it affects either us or her. But just don’t be there with your hand, you know. If you go by the regulations, it’s not allowed. Then I don’t think you should go out and call someone a cheater.”

For context, since Friday’s fiery men’s match, Rachel Homan has been under a microscope. Saturday saw her lose a stone, Monday brought referee attention after China stepped in, and by Tuesday, the drama kept building. In her showdown with unbeaten Sweden, she appeared to touch the granite after a release, a picture from TT shows.

“Well, that’s nothing we saw there,” Sara McManus explained, “Rules are rules, but we’ve never seen it. I don’t think we’ll pick a judge like that. I think it’s a natural movement, a reflex, or something. I don’t think it’s anything that affects.”

Fellow Swedish curler, Agnes Knochenhauer, pitched in the defence. According to her, many players follow this delivery routine and should not be weaponised against one nation.

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“There are many players who take that path down with their hand. Some point forward, I think those are two different things,” she said.

Earlier, World Curling decided it was time to tighten the screws on game surveillance, even as the Olympic men’s and women’s round-robin was already in full swing. The federation suddenly rolled out a new approach: two umpires would now leave the courtside table to stand right beside the “hog line,” the exact point where curlers must let go of their granite stones to better spot illegal double-touches before they slid unnoticed down the sheet of ice.

The change made an immediate impact. Within just a day, officials flagged two violations, one against Canada’s Rachel Homan and another against Britain’s Bobby Lammie. Their stones were pulled from play, a rare outcome that turned heads across the competition. It’s not often you see that many stones removed mid-event, and it didn’t take long for frustration to freeze the mood.

By Sunday afternoon, players and coaches had clearly had enough. Tension built through heated discussions until World Curling backed off and revised the rule after a meeting.

“When the players started complaining, it puts them in a tough position because they want to do their jobs and listen to the players that think that there’s a problem out there,” said Emma Miskew of Canada. “I’m happy with how the discussion went and what the ruling came to.”

The rules may be clear, but the competition certainly isn’t cooling down at the 2026 Winter Olympics. Canada’s women have fought through a rocky start to the group stage, yet Rachel Homan and her rink found their rhythm against Team Hasselborg. For much of the match, they dictated the pace.

With the score locked at 6-6 heading into the final end and the hammer in hand, Homan delivered when it mattered most, scoring two decisive points. The result handed Hasselborg’s squad their first defeat of the tournament, moving Sweden to six wins and one loss.

Despite the loss, Sweden has qualified for the knockouts. There remains a possibility that two teams could collide again in the medal rounds, which will be a sight for the audience to watch. 

Sweden and Canada Qualify for Semifinals in Milan

Sweden has already won the gold medal in the mixed category, and now they aim for another podium finish on the Women’s side. 

Team Hasselborg was undefeated till they faced Canada, followed by another defeat at the hands of South Korea. Their last match in the round robin is against China, but they have already booked their place in the playoffs with six comprehensive wins. 

Sweden’s men’s side was the defending champions, but has failed to replicate their heroics this time. Despite the star-studded team featuring experienced curlers like Skip Niklas Edin and four-time Olympic medalist Oskar Eriksson, they stand at 9th position with a 2-6 record. They will play their last match against Czechia on February 19th. 

On the other side, Canada’s men’s team has sealed their spot in the semifinals with the two games remaining in the league stage. Led by Brad Jacobs, their team stands in 2nd position on the table. 

Meanwhile, the women’s team is fighting hard for their chances to qualify for the knockout stage. After a slow start in the initial games, they are back on track with three back-to-back wins with a 4-3 record. Two fixtures are remaining in the league stage against Italy and South Korea; winning both of them will guarantee a place in the playoffs. 

Canada would hope to put all the noise and accusations behind it and focus on execution. With Swedish athletes separating the rules and intentions of players, the narrative shift towards medals at the Winter Olympics. But what’s your take on the controversy taking centre stage? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.