If you had “International Curling Scandal” on your 2026 Winter Olympics bingo card, congratulations—you’re either a psychic or a degenerate.
We are currently in the middle of “Broomgate 2.0,” and it is glorious. What started as a gentleman’s game of sliding rocks in Milano Cortina has devolved into a viral soap opera involving Swedish “spy” cameras, profanity-laced outbursts, and the most analyzed fingers in sports history.
The Backstory: “The Double-Touch Heard ‘Round the World”
It all started when Sweden’s Oskar Eriksson accused Canada’s Marc Kennedy of a “double-touch” (retouching the stone after release). Kennedy’s response? A very Canadian, very audible “F— off” that was picked up by every mic in the building.
Since then, the floodgates have opened. Rachel Homan had a stone disqualified against Switzerland for the same infraction, leading to an extra-end loss that had the Canadian team calling the officials “despicable” and “untrained.” Even Great Britain’s Bobby Lammie got caught in the crossfire.
Now, BetOnline has released a prop that is pure gold: Will Canada have another double-touch infraction?
The “No” Chalk: -1000 (The Logic Play)
The “No” is sitting at -1000 for a reason. After the weekend of chaos, World Curling actually backpedaled on their surveillance. They initially stationed “Hog Line Snipers” (extra umpires) to watch every release, but after the athletes revolted, they returned to the standard “monitor by request” policy.
The Canadians are now hyper-aware. Rachel Homan and Brad Jacobs’ rinks are likely practicing their releases with their hands tucked into their pockets. To get called for this again after it’s become the biggest story of the Games would require a level of neurological glitching we haven’t seen in professional sports.
The “Yes” Value: +550 (The Chaos Play)
But wait. If you’re a fan of the narrative, +550 is a massive price. Why?
- The “Target” Effect: Canadian skip Brad Jacobs openly said he feels his country is being “targeted.” When officials are looking for a specific mistake, they tend to find it.
- Muscle Memory: Experts suggest these “double-touches” are often incidental brushes that curlers have done their whole lives without notice. Changing a 20-year delivery habit in the middle of the Olympics is like trying to change your golf swing during the final round of the Masters.
- The “Swedish Revenge”: Every team playing Canada now knows that if they complain to an umpire, the pressure on the Canadian deliverer triples. It’s psychological warfare with a 40-pound piece of granite.
The Verdict: While the -1000 “No” is the safe harbor for your parlay, the Yes (+550) is the fun “small unit” play. In an Olympics where curling has suddenly become a “Heated Rivalry” TikTok trend, I wouldn’t bet against one more dramatic finger-graze ending up on a Swedish broadcaster’s slo-mo replay.
The Pick: NO (-1000) for the bankroll; YES (+550) for the entertainment.
