This is a comment text. The author is responsible for the analysis and positioning in the text.
The Great Olympic Brawl – What are the chances of it breaking out in the curling rink? Definitely a high scorer.
Many of us in the stands could hardly believe our ears and eyes when Oskar Eriksson accused his Canadian opponents of cheating and Marc Kennedy then told him to go to hell.
But on the other hand, I’m not surprised that the Swedish team reacted. Curling is traditionally a gentleman’s sport where players largely make their own decisions, but when the stakes are high there are always those who try to push the boundaries.
Not Team Edin came too late to point this out. At last year’s World Cup, the Italian Olympic team was criticized for constantly being over the hog line when dropping their stones. Niklas Ediin said that there were harsh words, but the difference was that the argument took place in the dressing room and not in front of the world’s television cameras.
The sensors and lights in the stones that mark transgressions were back for the European Championships in Finland before Christmas, but Edin wasn’t the only player to point out that the technology won’t eliminate all cheating.
– Some players lie on the stone after releasing it, said Italian captain Joel Retornaz.
Facts.This is how the “overstep” is measured in curling
The hogline is a line in the curling ice in front of the nest that the stone must pass to be in play. In the other half of the field it is also the line in front of which the player must drop the stone, otherwise it must be taken out of play.
There is a stripe in the ice in front of and along the hogline. There is a sensor in the handle of the stone that uses the strip to register where the handle of the stone is in relation to the edge of the hogline.
If the player’s hand is too far forward, a red diode on the stone lights up. If you are on the right side, another diode lights up green.
However, the allegations against Canada of cheating in the game against Sweden involve player Marc Kennedy stabbing his finger on the granite itself after releasing the latch – there are no sensors to measure “overshoots”.
It is allowed E.g., double touching the stone in front of the hogline, but there are players who, by making a small movement against the granite, can disable the sensors and then influence the speed and direction of the stone if the “release” is not what is desired. This is finesse at the highest level, but then curling is a sport where there is really reason to talk about the narrow margins.
I didn’t ask Retornaz if he was referring to the Canadians, but when Niklas Edin answered questions after the Olympics brawl, he said that more than the Swedes highlighted it with the double touch for Team Brad Jacobs.
Canadians were outraged by the allegations of cheating and argued that the referee made the decision. The problem is that because players largely judge their own games, curling referees have become extras who are afraid to intervene.
In Sweden’s first Olympic mixed doubles match, the referee made a serious decision, incorrectly stopping the match after six rounds even though South Korea still had a chance to equalize. All referees have the right to make mistakes, but in curling I think the main problem is that they don’t dare to intervene out of respect for experienced star players.
In the middle of the hustle and bustle It must be noted that Oskar Eriksson, highly respected in the curling world, focused too much on what he considered wrong and it is not impossible that he lost his concentration in the eighth round, which destroyed Sweden’s chances of victory and, in the worst case, the possibility of defending the Olympic gold.
Some protested against the Swedes and said Friday evening that they had no intention of filing a lawsuit, but if I were Marc Kennedy I would be a little concerned about the rule that says foul language can result in a suspension.
Read more:
Edin on cheating: “It’s like taking a bowling ball out of the chute”
Big controversy over Canadian curling cheating: “Fuck off, Oskar”
Red light eliminates “cheating” in men’s sports
.
