In the ninth end of Great Britain’s Robin match against Germany, officials said Scottish curler Bobby Lammie had touched a rock after dropping it on the ice. That’s called “double contact” and it’s against the rules. Great Britain won the match 9-4.
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Controversy arose on Friday night with an accusation against the Canadian men’s team by their Swedish opponents; a day later, in Canada’s women’s game against Switzerland, a rock was removed. Videos circulating on social media appeared to show both Canadian curlers touching the rocks twice, but both teams denied any wrongdoing.
Starting Saturday, World Curling said it would designate two officials to move between the four curling matches during each round, but noted that it was “not possible” to have umpires stationed on each hog line, where stones must be released by hand, during each match.
It was not known if officials were watching some teams more closely than others. World Curling says it does not use video replays to review play.
Until Sunday, the controversy had been limited to Canadian curlers, which represent one of the most fervent hobbies in the world.
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AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics