SHOCKING EXTRA-PERIOD RULE IN MILANO! Olympic jury admits “serious error” in awarding gold medal to Marc Kennedy; new decision issued…

The curling world at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics has been rocked by persistent controversy surrounding Canada’s men’s team and vice-skip Marc Kennedy, but recent sensational claims of a dramatic reversal—where the Olympic jury allegedly admits a “serious error” in awarding gold and issues a new decision—appear to stem from unverified social media posts rather than official sources.

Canada’s men’s curling team, skipped by Brad Jacobs with Marc Kennedy as third (vice-skip), clinched the gold medal on February 21, 2026, defeating Great Britain’s Bruce Mouat team 9-6 in the final at the Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium. This victory came after a tumultuous tournament marked by high-profile cheating allegations during the round-robin phase, but no post-gold medal revocation or jury admission of error has been confirmed by World Curling, the International Olympic Committee (IOC), or major news outlets as of March 2, 2026.

The core controversy erupted on February 13, 2026, during Canada’s round-robin match against Sweden, which Canada won 8-6. Sweden’s third, Oskar Eriksson, accused Kennedy of illegally double-touching (or more precisely, touching the granite of the stone after releasing the handle during delivery, a violation under curling rules). Video footage circulated widely on social media and by Swedish broadcaster SVT appeared to show Kennedy’s finger contacting the stone beyond the initial release, potentially to adjust its path or speed as it approached the hog line.

In curling, Rule R.5(d) requires stones to be delivered using the handle, and touching the granite after release is prohibited, typically resulting in the stone’s removal from play. The electronic “Eye on the Hog” sensors in Olympic handles confirm proper release (green light if released before the hog line), but they do not detect post-release granite touches. Sweden argued this gave an unfair advantage, especially in tight games decided by fractions of an inch.

Kennedy denied intentional wrongdoing, stating he had curled for 25 years without cheating intent, but admitted his emotions boiled over. He responded to Eriksson with repeated expletives, including telling him to “f*** off,” leading to a brief on-ice standoff and a verbal warning from World Curling for improper conduct (Rule R.19). World Curling clarified that video replays are not used to overturn in-game decisions, and no stone was removed during the match despite complaints.

The scandal widened briefly when similar accusations surfaced against Canada’s women’s skip Rachel Homan and even Britain’s men’s team in other matches, sparking debates about enforcement and the “spirit of curling.” Additional umpires were placed at sheet ends for monitoring, though this drew criticism from players for altering the game’s flow.

Despite the uproar, Canada’s team advanced through playoffs, overcoming adversity to claim gold. Kennedy celebrated emphatically, leaping onto the boards, and later reflected on the emotional toll: “I don’t know if people will ever understand what we went through this week as a team—what I put them through.” Canadian Olympic Committee CEO David Shoemaker likened the controversy to minor infractions in other sports like a foot fault in tennis.

Post-gold updates show no official reversal. Claims of an “extra-period rule” error (possibly misreferring to extra ends in curling, where ties lead to additional ends) and a jury admitting a “serious error” in the gold award seem confined to viral Facebook posts from Vietnamese-language news aggregators or sensational pages (e.g., “Gold in Question: Jury Concedes Major Mistake Under Milano Overtime Rule”). These posts, dated around late February or early March 2026, lack links to credible sources and include phrases like “shock reversal rocks Milano final” or “medal revoked after 72 hours,” but no corroboration exists in English-language sports media, AP, ESPN, or World Curling statements.

World Curling’s February 14 clarification emphasized finality of in-game calls and no video re-umpiring. Canada’s gold stands, with Kennedy transitioning from controversy villain to Olympic champion in public perception among supporters. The incident has fueled calls for better technology or stricter enforcement in future events, but it has not overturned results.

This episode highlights curling’s unique blend of precision, etiquette, and occasional passion—rarely does the “roaring game” roar quite this loudly. While the dramatic “new decision” narrative circulates online, the official record remains: Marc Kennedy and Team Canada are 2026 Olympic gold medalists.