• Kennedy insists he is innocent of any wrongdoing

• World Curling says officials will clamp down on violations

Canada’s men’s curling team have escaped punishment in the Winter Olympics despite appearing to have broken the rules in a bad-tempered victory over Sweden. However, World Curling has warned the Canadians about their abusive language during their 8-6 win on Friday, and introduced emergency spot checks.

The game was halted after Sweden claimed their rivals were touching the stone following release – which is not allowed under the rules – and asked officials to keep an eye out for further incidents. With Canada 7-6 ahead after the penultimate end, Sweden’s Oskar Eriksson then told Marc Kennedy he was double-touching the stone, which led to the Canadian responding with an expletive.