The day after the curling brawl between Sweden and Canada, both teams prepared for new games in Cortina. The question was whether the insults and provocations on the ice would have consequences.
Marc Kennedy yelled “fuck off” at Swede Oskar Eriksson after still accusing the Canadian of breaking the rules with his checkers.
Rule 19 The international curling rules deal with “inappropriate behavior” and state:
“Inappropriate behavior, foul or offensive language, misuse of equipment and intentional injury to team members are prohibited. Violation may result in suspension of the individual(s) by the appropriate curling organization.”
Even Canadian number one Ben Hebert used harsh words after the game when he called Oskar Eriksson an idiot in an interview with Swedish media.
Television images showed that Oskar Eriksson was right in his claim that Marc Kennedy was guilty of a so-called double touch at least once, in which he pushed the stone onto the granite with a finger after releasing it. According to the rules, this is not allowed and the player must report his mistake and remove the stone from play.
Swedish captain Niklas Edin said after the altercation that he saw no reason for Sweden to protest. against what happened.
On Saturday morning It was unclear whether the international curling federation, World Curling, would take action. DN unsuccessfully contacted the association for comment.
The question is also whether Oskar Eriksson could be punished. Canada perceived his repeated accusations of cheating as a provocation and believed that the Swede was out to trick them.
“He tried to get under our skin,” said Kennedy, who said Friday evening that he had no regrets about his use of language.
– I have the greatest respect for Oskar. “He’s one of the best players of all time, but I told him I would never do something like that to him and accuse him of cheating,” Kennedy said.
On Saturday afternoon It’s time for new games for both teams. Sweden faces China and Canada faces Switzerland. The teams play next to each other on the playing fields.
Canada is undefeated after three games and tops the table. Sweden has suffered three defeats in a row and the reigning champions are in a bad position. It is likely that Lag Edin will now need a win in their remaining six games to have a chance of reaching the playoffs.
