It was an unusually tense exchange at the Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium on Friday: Canadian curler Marc Kennedy cursed out Oskar Eriksson from the Swedish team, telling him, "You can f*** off."
The hot mic moment, streamed live to shocked curling fans, came after the 9th end, as the Canada vs. Sweden match, which Canada won 8-6, drew toward a close.
The fallout challenges "the spirit of curling" and raises questions about the future of the sport.
Kennedy was angry because the Swedish team accused him repeatedly of cheating by touching a stone beyond the so-called "hog line."