Curling at the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics saw intense competition and unexpected drama, primarily involving Sweden and Canada.
The sport's integrity was questioned when the Swedish men's team accused Canada of "double touching" stones, a violation of the rules. This led to a heated exchange and drew significant attention, highlighting a potential challenge for the World Curling Federation in balancing competitive play with the sport's traditional honor code.
Despite the controversy, the incident undeniably boosted the sport's visibility.
Sweden emerged as a dominant force, topping the medal table with two gold medals. The brother-sister duo Rasmus and Isabella Wranaa secured mixed doubles gold, while Anna Hasselborg's team won their second women's title, drawing inspiration from their teammates' success.
Canada, a powerhouse in curling, secured men's gold for the first time since 2014, overcoming off-ice distractions. The nation also earned women's bronze, marking their first Olympic medal in that discipline.
Switzerland claimed two medals, a women's silver and a men's bronze. The United States won a mixed doubles silver, their first in the event.
Italy's mixed doubles team earned bronze, though fell short of defending their Beijing gold. Great Britain, favored for men's gold, was narrowly defeated by Canada in the final.