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ESPN analyst slams Tennessee’s Kim Caldwell over abandoning her team originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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Tennessee’s recent skid drew national attention Sunday when ESPN analyst Andraya Carter publicly challenged Lady Vols coach Kim Caldwell’s handling of her team’s struggles.

During a segment on College GameDay, Carter reacted to Caldwell’s blunt postgame remarks following a 43-point loss to South Carolina on Feb. 8. Caldwell criticized her players’ response to adversity, saying, “We just had a lot of quit in us tonight,” and later added the performance was “embarrassing.”

Carter said such comments can send the wrong message.

👀 ESPN’s @Andraya_Carter Calls Out Kim Caldwell: “She has a lot of things to figure out” and the team “has no belief.” “If you’re a coach, you are required to figure out a system that fits your players. There’s no amount of NIL money that can buy buy-in.” 👀 #LadyVols#SECpic.twitter.com/PEDlNjKv6w

— The Ball Out (@theballoutmedia) February 22, 2026

“You should never say that your team has a lot of quit,” Carter said on the broadcast. “You never want to tell the fans that are watching and spending money to come watch your players that they’re quitting.”

Tennessee has dropped four of its last five games, not including a 30-point loss to No. 1 UConn to start out the month of February. Caldwell has wanted urgency, repeatedly saying the solution is simple to “Win your next game.”

Carter argued the issue goes beyond effort. She questioned whether the Lady Vols believe in their system, pointing to heavy reliance on 3-point shooting and aggressive trapping defense that can leave the team vulnerable in transition.

“When you’re struggling, you’ve got to believe in yourself, the system and the staff,” Carter said. “It doesn’t look like they know who to turn to.”

More: Mark Cuban says women’s college basketball stars must stop taking a WNBA pay cut

Carter added that buy-in cannot be purchased or demanded. “There’s no amount of NIL money that can buy buy-in,” she said. “You have to create it collectively.”

The spotlight now turns to Caldwell as Tennessee searches for answers down the stretch of SEC play. They face three ranked opponent (No. 11 Oklahoma, No. 7 LSU and No. 5 Vanderbilt) to end the regular season. 

More college basketball news:

Adrian Autry buyout, contract details as Syracuse Orange coachDarryn Peterson situation not alarming to NBA teams, ESPN insider saysAJ Dybantsa makes college basketball history never done by NBA starsJohn Calipari says college athletics is broken — Here’s his plan to fix itBill Self sends clear message to Darryn Peterson over ducking out of games

​https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/espn-analyst-slams-tennessees-kim-204147146.html 

The hockey world raved about Sunday’s dramatic 2026 Winter Olympics gold medal game, but Canada head coach Jon Cooper had a completely different response after its conclusion.

Sunday’s gold medal game offered hockey fans an all-time moment with the Americans knocking off Canada. However, Cooper’s first reaction after the Canada loss was about the overtime format needing an overhaul.

The Canada hockey coach was quick to knock the 3-on-3 extra period format, and even stated that there’s a “reason why it’s not in the Stanley Cup final.”

MORE: White House trolls Canada after Team USA Olympic gold medal win

While Cooper certainly has an argument to be made about the NHL playoff format differing from the Olympics, fans around the world were quick to praise the fast-paced nature throughout the tournament.

In fact, both the U.S. and Canada were recipients of overtime wins during the Milan Cortina Games. However, it’s clear that it’ll take the Canada hockey coach and his team to recover from the devastating defeat.

“You take four players off the ice, now hockey’s not hockey anymore,” Cooper said following the gold medal game loss. “There’s a reason overtime and shootouts are in play — it’s all TV-driven to end games, so it’s not a long time. There’s a reason why it’s not in the Stanley Cup final or playoffs”

MORE: Dylan Larkin gives touching Gaudreau family tribute after USA’s Olympic gold medal

Jon Cooper of Canada looks on during the men’s ice hockey gold medal game during the 2026 Winter Olympics. Mandatory Credit: James Lang-Imagn Images

The American win proved to be a historic moment for Team USA after ending a 46-year Olympic gold medaldrought in men’s hockey. The last time the U.S. won the top prize at the Winter Olympics came all the way back in 1980 at the Lake Placid Games.

Meanwhile, Canada has failed to capture the gold medal in their last three Olympic men’s hockey events.

— Enjoy free coverage of the top news & trending stories on The Big Lead —

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SPORTS MEDIA: Olympics reporter apologizes for drinking, slurring words during live segment

The post Canada hockey coach bashes Olympic hockey format after losing gold medal appeared first on The Big Lead.

​https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/canada-hockey-coach-bashes-olympic-204036496.html 

OL: Endrick makes a revelation about Kylian Mbappé

Kylian Mbappé pushed Endrick to sign for OL

OL: Endrick makes a revelation about Kylian Mbappé

On loan from Real Madrid, Endrick has confirmed the major role Kylian Mbappé played in his move to France.

Last January, Endrick decided to join Olympique Lyonnais on a straight loan from Real Madrid. In an interview with Téléfoot, Endrick made it clear he already feels right at home in the Rhône: “I didn’t expect things to go this well. But God is great, you know! It was my destiny to be here. I’m proud to play in France, it’s an incredible country. I’ll do everything to keep helping Lyon by working twice as hard.”

The Brazilian also confirmed that Kylian Mbappé and Eduardo Camavinga acted as top-tier intermediaries: “Kylian and Camavinga told me Ligue 1 was a good league and that it was very competitive. They really advised me to join Lyon, because it’s a great team. I’m grateful for their valuable advice.”

​https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/ol-endrick-makes-revelation-kylian-204000169.html 

Michigan State’s Carson Cooper, right, scores as Ohio State’s Amare Bynum defends during the first half on Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026, at the Breslin Center in East Lansing. | Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Michigan State entered today’s game against Ohio State likely in a must-win situation to work towards a 3-seed in the NCAA Tournament. The initial top 16 reveal yesterday had the Spartans on the #4 line. MSU has a brutal closing stretch in the Big Ten regular season that features Purdue, Indiana, and Michigan on the road with just Rutgers at home. Picking up both the home games, along with at least one – maybe two – road victories, depending on what happens in the Big Ten Tournament, is essential for Michigan State.

After a brutal first half, the Spartans were able to get the job done against a short-handed but determined Ohio State team.

As O noted in the game preview, Ohio State was without starting guard John Mobley Jr. in this game but the Buckeyes still scored an impressive victory against Wisconsin on Tuesday without him. Just prior to tip off, it was announced that Puff Johnson would replace Devin Royal in Ohio State’s starting lineup due to Royal being sick, leaving the Buckeyes even more shorthanded.

MSU was coming off a big win against UCLA where the three ball fell at an above normal rate for the Spartans. A couple of TOC readers, Sgostate1 and wbrianr, pointed out in the preview to watch out for MSU settling for threes in this one and concern that they might drop as much in a second consecutive game. These proved to be valid concerns.

Given that both teams were coming off impressive victories while working to improve their tournament standing, this one just seemed to have the makings of a hard fought contest and that’s how it ultimately played out.

Both teams struggled to shoot in the early going. In the first four minutes, Amare Bynum picked up two fouls for Ohio State and Jaxon Kohler had two for MSU. The Spartans also committed four turnovers and were unable to take advantage of three offensive rebounds. The only highlight by the 16 minute mark was a massive jam for Coen Carr as MSU led just 4-2 at the first media break.

Coming out of the break, MSU brought Kur Teng, Denham Wojcik, and Cam Ward off the bench. Teng contributed quickly with a corner three for the Spartans but would finish just 1-5 from deep. Six points from Bruce Thornton, who more than carried the load for Ohio State in the absence of Mobley and Royal, kept the Buckeyes close as offense remained difficult to come by for both teams. It was 9-8, Spartans with 11:24 left in the first half.

Ohio State took the lead coming out of the media break on a short jumper from Christoph Tilly and then Thornton continued to provide most of the game’s offense. His three pointer put Ohio State up 14-9 while the Spartans struggled to get good interior looks against OSU’s 2-3 zone.

Carr got fouled going to the rim and hit one of two free throws to end a drought for MSU. Teng put back Carr’s second free throw to get MSU within 14-12 but Ohio State responded from there. While the Spartans continued to struggle inside, Ohio State converted four layups over the next few minutes to build their lead as high as six.

Jaxon Kohler returned with his two fouls and that decision initially paid off for MSU. Kohler hit a three to cut OSU’s lead to 20-17 with 5:40 left in the half. But just two minutes later, Kohler picked up his third foul as OSU held a 22-17 lead at the 3:48 mark.

Carr missed a wide open trailing three that would have tied it at 22 with 2:30 left in the half and it went to the break with the Spartans trailing 26-23 – a familiar spot for MSU as of late.

The first half really was as dismal offensively for Michigan State as the score indicated. The Spartans shot just 30% (8-27) and went just 2-8 from three after hitting 14 triples against UCLA. After four turnovers in the first four minutes, MSU finished the half with seven giveaways but was getting manhandled inside by OSU with the Buckeyes enjoying a 22-8 advantage in points in the point.

The good news was that the Spartans were only down three at home and Thornton was the only one really hurting them with his 16 points.

With Kohler’s three fouls, Teng started the second half for MSU. He had three pretty good looks from deep in the first few minutes of the second half but couldn’t get one to drop. Thornton, meanwhile, picked up where he left off and put the Buckeyes up 28-23 when he rolled in a short jumper on OSU’s first possession of the second half.

The Spartans started to chip away from there though. Cooper got a baseline hook to fall and, later, added two free throws. Fears knocked down a three pointer. Jordan Scott got fouled on a long ball and got two of three free throws to go to finally give MSU the lead back at 34-33 with 15:09 left.

Kohler came back in at the 16:08 mark. The Buckeyes went at him on two possessions in a row but Jaxon held strong on defense.

A Fears to Ward jam extended the Spartan lead to 36-33 as MSU was finally starting to find the holes in Ohio State’s zone. Fears got in the middle of the OSU D again and hit over Thornton to make it 38-35, Spartans, but Thornton tied it with a triple at the other end.

Fears went to the bench for a break and Ohio State took advantage. A three from Taison Chatman and Tilly baseline jumper over Jesse McCulloch had the Buckeyes back in the lead, 43-40, with 10:50 left.

Fears returned for the Spartans and immediately found Scott on a drive and kick triple to tie it at 43. After a Tilly drive put OSU back up, Kohler hit from the soft spot in the zone to tie it at 45. On the same play, Johnson picked up his fourth foul by pushing Cooper under the basket. The Spartans couldn’t take advantage of the extra possession though as Kohler missed an open three.

Michigan State did reclaim the lead a bit later as Fears was fouled on a drive and hit both free throws. We had to wait for the free throws, however. As Fears was fouled, his leg made contact with Bynum’s groin. The referees decided they needed to review it because that’s what happens with Fears now. This time, the groin contact was determined to be simply a result of Fears getting fouled and the original call stood.

A bit later, Fears found Cooper in the paint to put MSU up 49-45 with 8:35 to go. OSU ended the 6-0 MSU run with a couple of free throws at the 7:48 mark as the game continued down to the wire.

An offensive rebound and put back from Scott had MSU back up four but Thornton answered with a short jumper. Cooper found the hole in the zone again with an elbow jumper but Thornton responded again by drawing a questionable foul driving on Scott and hitting the free throws.

The Spartans finally gained a little separation from here with Scott finding Cooper for a jam and then a beautiful Kohler spin to the rim to make it 59-51, MSU, with 3:36 to go.

Scott hit a jumper with the shot clock running down and the Spartans had a double-digit lead at 61-51. After Thornton got the benefit of the doubt on another drive against Scott and hit both free throws, Kohler hit in the paint to maintain a 10 point MSU lead.

But that wasn’t enough to put it away just yet as Thornton was far from done for the Buckeyes. He drew Kohler’s fourth foul and hit a free throw. Then he hit in the paint to cut the lead to 63-56. After a Spartan turnover, Kohler fouled on on a Tilly drive. Tilly hit on the drive but missed the and-one to make it 63-58. Carr was fouled with 20 seconds left but missed both free throws. Thornton went to the rack and struck again. Suddenly it was a 63-60 game with 14 seconds left.

Scott was fouled shortly after the inbound play and hit one of two free throws to put MSU four. Thornton finally missed for OSU and the Buckeyes fouled Cooper after he grabbed the board. Cooper hit both and the Spartans could finally exhale with a 66-60 win.

Thornton finished with 32 for the Buckeyes but Cooper had a big second half for the Spartans. Coop finished with 20, going 7-10 from the floor and 6-6 from the line while also pulling down 11 boards. Scott finished with 12 for MSU and continued to provide timely plays for the Spartans.

Michigan State returns to action Thursday at Purdue. Meanwhile, the MSU Women’s team has a huge game a little later today at #23 Minnesota. That game tips at 6 PM on FS1.

​https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/instant-recap-spartans-survive-bruce-203929296.html 

​https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/played-poor-shots-sri-lanka-203900006.html 

“The two teams from Glasgow have buckled under the pressure.”

That was the assessment of former Scotland midfielder Michael Stewart after the Scottish Premiership title race delivered yet another weekend of high drama.

With Rangers held to a 2-2 draw at bottom club Livingston and defending champions Celtic beaten at home by Hibernian on Sunday, Hearts boss Derek McInnes must have been watching on with a big grin.

Having eked out a narrow win over Falkirk 24 hours earlier his side now lead Rangers by four points and Celtic – who have played a game fewer than the teams above them – by six with 10 matches left.

The other big winners over the weekend were fourth-placed Motherwell, with their 5-0 thumping of St Mirren.

Jens Berthel Askou’s side also have a game in hand on the top two, trailing Hearts by 10 points.

They have only conceded three goals in their past 15 matches and lost once in 19, all while playing the most expansive football in the top flight.

“Motherwell win emphatically, Hearts win as well and that applies pressure,” Stewart said.

“The two teams from Glasgow have buckled under the pressure.

“It is not beyond the realms of possibility that Motherwell could finish above Celtic or Rangers, maybe both of them.

“Celtic and Rangers could be third and fourth in the table.”

Next weekend follows a similar pattern as Hearts and Motherwell play at home on Saturday – against Aberdeen and Dundee United respectively – before Rangers host Celtic in the derby on Sunday.

Motherwell could be just one point behind Celtic by then, while Hearts could be seven clear of Rangers and nine above Martin O’Neill’s side.

“It looks like Hearts are the team that can only throw it away,” former Celtic goalkeeper Pat Bonner said. “They are in an unbelievable position.”

Stewart added: “Everything is on the line. The permutations from all these games are incredible. That’s what makes this season so exciting.”

Rangers scramble draw at 10-man Livingston Hibs stun Celtic with late Andrews winner

Issues rife at Celtic but O’Neill defiant

It is no secret things are far from rosy at Parkhead, with fan protests during almost every home match.

O’Neill is in charge until the end of the season – his second interim spell in this chaotic campaign – and cracks are starting to appear despite the Northern Irishman’s legendary status at the club.

Supporters continue to demand boardroom change, there are obvious holes in O’Neill’s squad and they have now lost seven league matches. That’s as many as they lost in the previous two seasons combined.

Celtic fell behind to Felix Passlack’s header and rallied to equalise through Benjamin Nygren’s 18th goal of the season, but went down to 10 men when centre-back Auston Trusty was sent off for violent conduct.

Kai Andrews fired in a late winner for Hibs, making it successive defeats for Celtic after Thursday’s Europa League reverse against Stuttgart.

“It’s a setback, that’s all it is,” O’Neill said. “We’re still in the race.

“I thought we were absolutely terrific. The players put heart and soul into the game. No complaints on that side whatsoever.

“We’ve been chasing for months now. There’s not much room for error but we can still fight back. The players are disappointed but it’s not over.”

Despite O’Neill’s defence of his players, others were less complimentary.

“It all changed with Trusty’s sending off,” Bonner said. “Hibs handled the game very well after that.

“Celtic couldn’t get any momentum and it’s a brilliant goal from Kai Andrews. Celtic didn’t create anything. They ran out of luck.”

O’Neill brought in Tomas Cvancara, Junior Adamu and Joel Mvuka to bolster his attacking options in January, but Adamu was an unused substitute against Hibs and Mvuka wasn’t in the matchday squad.

“Without doubt, there is a lack of cutting edge at Celtic,” Stewart said.

“What’s up with Adamu? They need a goal and they put on [Daizen] Maeda, who is nowhere near the levels he was at before.”

Rangers fume at non-penalty

While some would have tipped Hibs to get a result at Celtic Park, Rangers were expected to continue their excellent recent form at Livingston, who have won only once in the Premiership all season.

However, Marvin Bartley’s side profited from two set-pieces to take a two-goal lead.

Goalkeeper Jerome Prior made a string of superb saves and there were several last-ditch challenges as the West Lothian outfit kept Rangers at bay.

But Cristian Montano’s sending off on the hour mark sparked a Rangers onslaught and they drew level through Emmanuel Fernandez’s strike and Mikey Moore’s header.

There was late controversy too as Moore was wiped out by Cammy Kerr when through on goal.

Referee Ryan Lee gave no foul and video assistant referee David Dickinson ruled the incident to be outside the box and not denying a goalscoring opportunity.

“It had a bit of everything,” former Rangers midfielder Kevin Thomson said.

“Livingston were terrific. Marvin Bartley will be delighted – he would have taken a point before the game.

“For Rangers – too much huffing and puffing, they lacked a little bit in the final third.”

Head coach Danny Rohl was baffled his side were not given the chance to take all three points from the penalty spot.

“I can’t understand when you see the replay and it’s a clear foul, then the decision. In my view it was on the line and it’s a penalty,” he said.

“It’s a clear foul. Mikey said to me and you see on the replay. It’s a pen but we have to move forward.”

With next Sunday’s Old Firm derby looming large, Rohl is relishing the run-in.

“We showed again our comeback character,” he said. “Ten games to go and it is an exciting race.

“We are disappointed but we go again. We have to carry on. We cannot think too much about the past and I totally believe, the players believe, the club believe and the supporters believe we can do it.

“We showed against Hearts that we can beat top of the league. Next week we have the next challenge. We will hunt again and again.”

​https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/old-firm-buckle-under-pressure-201612214.html 

Canada-Sweden cheating controversy, explained: Why curling match ended in profanity-laced tirade amid accusations originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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A curling matchup between Canada and Sweden at the 2026 Winter Olympics got a bit heated.

In what eventually became an 8-6 win for Canada’s Team Brad Jacobs over Sweden’s Team Niklas Edin, a cheating controversy led to a viral exchange of words between members of each squad. 

Sweden’s Oskar Eriksson appeared to accuse Canada’s Marc Kennedy of double-touching stones, trying to gain an advantage, to which Kennedy responded with some profanity, denying those allegations.

While the Swedish team thought Kennedy and Canada were making contact with the stone beyond the hog line — the line where curlers have to let go of the stone — World Curling reportedly later said that there were “no hog line violations or retouches of the stone during the observation.”

Here’s a look at the cheating accusations in Canada vs. Sweden curling, and the heated moments afterward.

MORE 2026 OLYMPICS: Live medal tracker | Viewer’s guide | Day-by-day schedule

Canada-Sweden curling fight

Near the end of Friday’s contest between Canada and Sweden, Eriksson could be heard claiming that Kennedy double-touched his rock after releasing it before the hog line.

Kennedy didn’t take those allegations well, telling Eriksson he should “f— off.”

“I haven’t done it once,” Kennedy said in an exchange that was captured by the broadcast. 

Eriksson was insistent, however, saying he could prove the cheating by showing “a video after the game.”

“I’ll show you a video where it’s two meters over the hog line,” Erikkson said.

Again, Kennedy responded with profanity.

“How about you walking around on my peel last end, dancing around in the house here? How about that?” Kennedy said. “Come on Oskar, just f— off.”

Sweden had complained to officials about alleged double touches throughout the match, including pauses of play entirely early on to discuss it.

“You saw it. You saw the touching, right?” Eriksson said to the judge during the first complaint shown on the broadcast, according to The Athletic. “So is he allowed to do it or not? That’s the question.”

While both sides of the exchange made their cases to officials, Canada went on to win 8-6, improving to 3-0 thus far. After the match, Kennedy was asked about those cheating accusations.

“It’s good. It’s sport. It’s the Olympics. Both teams are trying to win. Oskar was accusing us of cheating. I didn’t like it,” Kennedy said, per Reuters. “I’ve been curling professionally for 25 years.”

Swedish curler Niklas Edin also spoke on the cheating allegations:

Here are postgame quotes from Nik Edin.

Who talks about what happened in the game against Canada tonight.

Some really solid points made by Edin here, specifically relating to rule enforcement. Which we know is an issue in curling. pic.twitter.com/pm52K8OYg4

— Devin Heroux (@Devin_Heroux) February 13, 2026

Did Canada cheat in curling?

The accusations the Swedish team was making was that Kennedy and Canada were making illegal contact with the stone beyond the hog line, which is the point on the ice where curlers are required to let go of the curling stone during delivery.

A video of Kennedy went viral on social media after the match, where he does extend his finger toward the stone after a release, and it appears he was still touching it by the time it hit the edge of the line where contact must stop:

Canada cheating in Curling. What a idiots. These players should be banned. pic.twitter.com/334LlTFB9Z

— Dellarium (@Dellarium1) February 13, 2026

According to The Athletic, the judge told Erickkson he couldn’t tell for certain if Kennedy had violated any rules.

“I saw his finger motion, but I cannot say if he really touched it or not,” he reportedly said.

In a statement to Reuters, World Curling said “there were no hog line violations or retouches of the stone during the observation,” with umpires being “set at the hog line to monitor deliveries for three ends after the issue was first raised during the game.”

On Feb. 22, the CEO of the Canadian Olympic Committee, David Shoemaker, told the AP that he believed that it was “not cheating,” as the potential rule violation was comparable to “a foot fault in tennis or traveling in basketball.” 

“For me it’s like a foot fault in tennis or traveling in basketball,” Shoemaker said, per ESPN. “If LeBron James takes four steps on the way to the hoop, I wouldn’t say LeBron James is a cheater.”

“I understand the furor that’s erupted on social media, but that part is not fair and hopefully we will see that go away.”

MORE: Updated Team USA medal count at 2026 Olympics

Canada curling controversy vs. Switzerland

Canada men’s curling was hit with a second double-touching allegation on Saturday, when Switzerland’s Pablo Lachat-Couchepin told a coach, “I don’t want to focus too much on it, but he double-touched, and the referee saw it,” according to the Toronto Star.

Switzerland, however, would win the match, and Canada was not penalized, nor was it clear whether the Canadian team was ever informed about a potential violation.

On the women’s side, Canada saw a stone removed on Sunday for double-touching, though Rachel Homan defended herself and said she has “never done it” in her life.

What is a double-touching violation?

A double-touch violation in curling is when a player touches a moving stone after the initial release, after it has crossed the hog line. Before the hog line, it is legal to touch the stone, but if a player does it beyond the hog line, it results in the stone being removed or placed at the opposing team’s discretion.

“A stone must be clearly released from the hand before it reaches the hog line at the delivery end. If the player fails to do so, the stone is immediately removed from play by the delivering team,” World Curling’s governing rules say, per The Athletic.

“If a hog line violation stone is not immediately removed and strikes another stone, the delivered stone must be removed from play by the delivering team, and any displaced stones are replaced, by the nonoffending team, to their positions prior to the violation taking place.”

MORE:How Ilia Malinin fell from Olympic favorite to 8th place in men’s figure skating

How do electronic handles detect double-touching in Olympic curling?

There are measures in place to help prevent extra touches in curling. At the 2026 Winter Olympics, World Curling has introduced electronic handles on the stones that tell officials if double-touching with the stone happened, per Reuters.

Every stone’s handle has a touch sensor, which interacts with a magnetic strip embedded in the ice. But Erikkson, according to Reuters, thought Kennedy was touching the stone — not the handle with the sensor — so the red lights did not flash.

“He asked who we thought was over the hog line and I pointed out who we thought was touching the rock,” he said, per Reuters. “It was obviously not a red light, but some players are touching the rock according to us. And that’s not allowed … We told the officials. They came out and they misread the rules, sadly. Because they thought double touching any part of the rock is okay. And then they found out that was wrong. You can only touch the electronic part of the handle.”

Kennedy also reportedly acknowledged the electronic handles as his defense for him and his team not cheating.

“There’s hog line devices on there. I don’t know,” he said, per Reuters. “And he’s still accusing us of cheating. I didn’t like it. So I told him where to stick it.”

“I don’t really know what he’s trying to get out of it. And yeah, onward. But I’m not going to stand there and take cheating lightly.”

Canada response to cheating allegations

The Canadian men’s curling team strongly denies accusations of cheating in their game against Sweden.

Kennedy, the Canadian player at the center of the controversy, denied any intentional wrongdoing. He stated that he has never cheated to gain an advantage in his 25-year career.

Kennedy also claimed that the allegations were a “premeditated” effort by Sweden to unsettle the Canadian team.

Canada has also accused Sweden of cheating3, a claim the Swedish team denies. 

BREAKING: Canada are accusing Sweden of improperly filming the hog line during last night’s game in order to “run to the officials” with cheating claims. Video going around that appears to have been shot from the stands. Swedish team denies any involvement https://t.co/LythgKhCNF

— Jonny Wakefield (@jonnywakefield) February 14, 2026

World curling response to cheating allegations

World Curling addressed the allegations, saying that “no violations were recorded.”

“Game Umpires are situated at the end of each sheet and physically cannot see every delivery infraction,” the organization said in a statement. “However, when they are made aware of delivery issues, game umpires are positioned to observe the delivery for three ends. During this period of observation in the Friday evening game, there were no violations recorded,” the statement began, noting that video replay is not used during games and an umpire’s call is final.”

World Curling issued a formal verbal warning to Team Canada following Kennedy’s conduct during the game. In a statement, officials warned that any further “inappropriate behavior” — as defined by Rule R.19 — would trigger additional sanctions. Under this rule, Kennedy now faces a potential suspension if he commits another violation. 

MORE WINTER OLYMPICS NEWS:

Where are the Olympics in 2026?When will the Olympics be in USA?What time is it in Italy compared to USA?Full list of future Olympics locationsHow many countries are in the 2026 Olympics?

​https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/canada-sweden-cheating-controversy-explained-050807286.html