Controversy has erupted in the curling at the Winter Olympics, with Great Britain dragged into the explosive fallout following cheating accusations against the Canadian team.

On Friday, Canada’s men’s side were accused by Sweden of breaking the rules by repeatedly double-touching the curling stone after release, leading to swear words being exchanged on the ice.

After Canada denied the claims – the team’s third, Marc Kennedy, responded by furiously insisting: “I haven’t done it once. You can f*** off” – footage of Kennedy clearing touching the stone after release went viral.

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The drama escalated over the weekend when Canada’s women’s team were penalised for the same infringement in the first end of their match against Switzerland, as stunned skip Rachel Homan protested her innocence.

Then, amid increased surveillance from the umpires, Team GB’s Bobby Lammie was also flagged for a double touch in the penultimate end of their 9-4 win over Germany on Sunday.

World champions Great Britain play Canada, a renowned curling heavyweight, in a crunch match on Tuesday as the round-robin reaches its business end, with this controversy still very much in the spotlight in Cortina.

What is a double touch and what are the rules?

Following the controversy during the Canada-Sweden match, World Curling issued a reminder to the competing teams, clarifying the rules of “proper release” when delivering the stone.

World Curling said: “When delivering a stone, before the hog line players can retouch the handle as many times as they wish. However, touching the handle after the hog line is not allowed and will result in the stone being removed from play.

“During forward motion, touching the granite of the stone is not allowed. This will result in the stone being removed from play. Violation of this rule, will result in the stone being removed from play.”

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Canada’s men’s team firmly denied the accusation of cheating, even as the footage of Kennedy touching the stone with a lingering finger on the hog line after release went viral on social media.

“If somebody said to you, ‘Hey, do you double-touch all the time?’ I honestly, in that split second of a moment, I couldn’t even tell you if I do or not,” Kennedy said.

Per the rules, giving the granite of the stone a deliberate prod after its release to correct its course would be cheating – but the fact you can retouch the handle before the hog line means there is some nuance.

Canada’s women’s team said they had been swept up in the accusations, following the heated exchange involving the men’s team on Friday and the online storm it created.

Homan said: “I think the word cheating came out of nowhere. It has nothing to do with cheating. There’s no chance that Canadians would ever intentionally cheat.”

“It obviously was like a heated moment between two players that blew it up. We had nothing to do with that,” said Canada’s second Emma Miskew. “So we felt like we were brought into a situation that we had no part in.”

Increased officiating — then a climbdown

World Curling does not have a VAR-style video replay system to re-umpire game decisions, while decisions made during a game are final and cannot be overturned.

After the controversy, World Curling did release a statement informing teams that, while it was “not possible” to have game umpires stationed at each hog line, two officials would move between all four sheets and observe some deliveries.

It resulted in uproar, however, with athletes and teams furious at how their deliveries were being overly scrutinised, at a level never before seen at a major international tournament.

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That likely explains why Canada’s women’s team and Great Britain’s men were so quickly flagged following Friday’s controversy. It was also unclear if officials were watching some nations more closely than others.

So, World Curling reversed its decision to increase officiating following a meeting with the competing national organisations. Instead, teams could request that an umpire observes the other team, for a minimum of three ends.

Were Sweden spying? And what happens next?

One of the mysteries of the whole saga is how Sweden were so convinced that Canada were guilty of a “double touch”. During the heated exchange between the teams, Oskar Eriksson also told his Canadian opponents: “I’ll show you the video after.”

The video appearing to show a clear double-touch by Kennedy then circulated on social media, with it emerging from Swedish public broadcaster SVT, leading Kennedy to claim the whole controversy was “premeditated” by the Sweden team.

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“They’ve come up with a plan to catch teams in the act,” Kennedy said, which adds another layer. Were Sweden secretly filming their opponents?

After beating Sweden 8-6 on Friday, Canada lost to Switzerland 9-5 in their only game on Saturday before rebounding with a 6-3 victory over China and a 8-2 thrashing of Czech Republic

On Tuesday, Canada will play Great Britain in a match that could determine which nation goes through to the semi-finals and keeps their medal hopes alive, after world champions Team GB suffered a shock defeat to Norway.

Bruce Mouat’s side have now lost three matches and they will likely have to beat Canada. Meanwhile, this fierce fury on ice is not cooling down.

Emma Raducanu’s difficult run of form and fitness continued as the British No 1 suffered a first-round exit at the Dubai Tennis Championships, her third defeat in a row while struggling physically.

Raducanu called a medical timeout and received treatment after falling to a 6-1 opening set to Croatia’s lucky loser Antonia Ruzic in just 30 minutes, with the 23-year-old also having issues with her serve.

She was seen to by a doctor and, although there was a brief improvement at the start of the second set, and some admirable resilience as Raducanu fought to force the third, Ruzic took control of the decider to win 6-1 5-7 6-2.

Since reaching the final of Transylvania Open in Cluj, Raducanu has struggled physically in each of her subsequent matches and a consecutive first-round exit at a WTA 1000 event is a blow for the world No 25.

In Romania, she lost 6-0 6-2 to Sorana Cristea while bidding for her first title since the US Open in 2021, before retiring from her first-round match at the Qatar Open against Camila Osorio two days later.

After arriving in Dubai, Raducanu was scheduled to play Elisabetta Cocciaretto before the Italian withdrew due to injury and was replaced by Ruzic, the world No 67.

The Croatian, who almost beat Naomi Osaka in the first round of the Australian Open last month but had lost in the first round of qualifying in Dubai, started the match the stronger player while Raducanu looked out of sorts.

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The Briton could be seen practicing her serve in an extended warm-up before the start of the match, and made four double faults in the opening set while winning less than 50 per cent of her service points.

After the timeout, Raducanu had five break points chances in Ruzic’s first service game, and then another in her second, but the Croatian saved them all before breaking to lead 4-3.

Although Raducanu’s serve continued to be vulnerable, she saved a match point before managing to break back while Ruzic served for the match at 5-4.

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Enjoying her best spell of the match, Raducanu broke Ruzic to win the third set and then again to lead the decider. But as Raducanu faded, Ruzic won the final six games in a row to seal victory in two hours and 20 minutes.

Raducanu was making her first appearance at the Dubai tournament since she was the target of “fixated” behaviour from a man during her second-round match against Karolina Muchova last year.

The Australian Open 2026 final kicked off with Novak Djokovic asserting his dominance early on. The Serbian maestro quickly took control, breaking Carlos Alcaraz’s serve to lead 3-1 in the opening set. Alcaraz, struggling with his first serves, found himself under constant pressure from Djokovic’s precise groundstrokes and immaculate serving. Despite a few moments of resistance from Alcaraz, Djokovic maintained his composure, breaking once more to secure the first set 6-2.

Set 2: Alcaraz Fights Back

Alcaraz responded with renewed determination in the second set. The young Spaniard broke Djokovic’s serve early, taking a 3-1 lead, and his aggressive play started to dictate the flow of the match. With his serve finding its rhythm, Alcaraz began to dominate the rallies, forcing Djokovic into errors. Despite the Serbian’s best efforts, Alcaraz maintained control, sealing the second set 6-2 to level the match at 1-1.

Set 3: Alcaraz Gains the Upper Hand

Alcaraz carried the momentum into the third set, breaking Djokovic’s serve early to lead 3-1. Djokovic, visibly fatigued, struggled to match the intensity of the Spaniard’s relentless pace and precision. Alcaraz continued to control the points, taking the set 6-3 and edging ahead with a two-sets-to-one lead.

Set 4: Alcaraz Clinches Career Slam

In the final set, Djokovic pushed Alcaraz to the limit, but the Spaniard remained composed under pressure. With the score tied at 5-5, Alcaraz served for the championship and sealed his victory 7-5, completing his historic win. Alcaraz defeated Djokovic 2-6, 6-2, 6-3, 7-5, becoming the youngest player in history to win the career slam.

We may have a problem here.

There are times when third base is loaded. It tends to invite larger gentlemen with stronger arms, after all, and with that comes powerful swings, generally speaking. But in those times when defense is more in vogue, third base will end up losing some of its best bats to other, less premium positions.

That’s the state the position is in now, and judging by the third base picture in the minors, it’s not improving anytime soon. Surely, some of the current shortstop class will end up migrating, for the same reason some third basemen migrate to first base, but when sizing up the true third basemen in the minors right now, only one stands out: Jacob Reimer. And he’s blocked about three times over for the Mets.

• Position Strategies: C | 1B | 2B | 3B | SS | OF | SP | RP
• Position Tiers: C | 1B | 2B | 3B | SS | OF | SP | RP

So no help is on the horizon, but to be totally fair, third base isn’t devoid of star power. When we get to The Studs, you’ll see that they run deeper than at most other infield positions. The problem is the precipitous drop-off that follows. Third base is the position where, no matter the size of the league, someone isn’t going to be happy with who he drafts there.

And the deeper the league, the worse it is. Unlike at, say, second base, where some of the most interesting options only matter for deeper leagues, third base just goes dark. Once the attractive options are gone, limited though they are, all that’s left to do is cling to whatever at-bats you can find.

The state of the position for 2026, then, is one of urgency. You should be game planning for third base because the penalty for going soft there is compounded by the reward for going hard. Some in your league will have a good third baseman. Some won’t, and there won’t be many gradients in between. That gap between the haves and have-nots may be what decides championships in 2026.

Marking the line between the haves and have-nots is easy, but the haves then have to deliver on it. And not everyone here is a lock to do so. Jazz Chisholm is a known injury risk, not to mention even more of a standout at second base, where he’s perhaps more likely to be drafted. Manny Machado is now 33 and in a state of gradual decline. Austin Riley is coming off back-to-back disappointing, injury-plagued years. Eugenio Suarez just hit .189 with a .682 OPS in his second half with the Mariners.

Even the first- and second-round options — Jose Ramirez and Junior Caminero, respectively — aren’t entirely worry-free. At 33, Ramirez is the second-oldest of the consensus first-rounders (behind Aaron Judge) and could theoretically begin to show it. Meanwhile, some have raised concerns about Caminero’s return to Tropicana Field, noting that he hit about 100 points higher at the Rays‘ temporary home than on the road last year. To me, though, both of those concerns would fall into the “borrowing trouble” category rather than raising legitimate red flags. If they concern you, then you’re really not going to like what follows, and I’ve taken to prioritizing Ramirez and Caminero in their respective rounds for that reason, recently moving Ramirez ahead of Juan Soto in my rankings and Caminero ahead of Nick Kurtz.

Among the others listed here, I’m most drawn to Riley and Suarez, who are both coming at a discount relative to my expectations. Riley is still in his prime at 28, has continued to deliver the same premium exit velocities, and had three consecutive MVP-caliber seasons prior to the last two, both of which were marred by injury. Suarez, meanwhile, just seems like he can’t hit at T-Mobile Park, a venue known to create sight problems for certain hitters. He hit .280 with a .921 OPS in his 24 road games with the Mariners and hit nearly 50 homers overall. His signing with the Reds should have relieved whatever concerns existed, but his draft stock remains suppressed.

Lesser, but potentially viable, options: Alec Bohm, PHI; Caleb Durbin, BOS

These players are … fine, but they’re clearly a step back from the previous group in terms of upside. And they won’t last long, to get back to my original point about third base. Some might balk at me putting Alex Bregman here, given that his ADP is higher than Suarez’s, but if you haven’t heard, he’s a bust pick for me. I just don’t think the way he comes about power is going to work at Wrigley Field, with its deep outfield corners and punishing winds. Others might object to me having Max Muncy here, given his presumptive platoon status, but I don’t think it’s going to be as strict as down the stretch last year, when the Dodgers were easing him back from injury. Still, I wouldn’t exactly be thrilled to draft him in a Rotisserie league. Both he and Bregman rate much better in Head-to-Head points.

So if we take out both the low and high endpoints that are controversial for one reason or another, we’re left with three names, all of whom spent a significant portion of 2025 on the IL and one of whom, Isaac Paredes, doesn’t even have a dedicated lineup spot at the moment. In theory, my favorite here is Paredes — I think he might be more Alex Bregman than Alex Bregman, even, with the way his extreme platoon tendencies play at Daikin Park — but if the Astros‘ remedy to their infield glut is to trade him to a team without such a shallow left field corner, well, he doesn’t belong in this group anymore. And if not, he’s scratching and clawing for every at-bat he can get.

Jordan Westburg still looks like a 30-homer bat if he could only stay healthy for a full season, but just as Bregman and Muncy lose something in 5×5 Rotisserie, Westburg takes a hit in Head-to-Head points thanks to his microscopic walk rate. In that format, I might actually prefer Matt Chapman, who’s somehow both the most stable and most flawed of this group.

Bohm only gets an honorable mention (as a “lesser, but potentially viable, option”) because no one is drafting him except under duress these days (241st overall), but I actually think he’s become underrated and could be described as the ultimate fallback option at this position. He was going 100 picks earlier last year, and all that actually changed for him in the interim was that he spent some time on the IL, lowering his totals. He still rates as a strong source of batting average and RBI and fares well in points leagues, too, because of his low strikeout rate. It’s a deeper play, but a promising one.

*minor-league stats
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I’ve filled out this category pretty well, but don’t be misled. We’ve seen enough of most of these guys to know that they probably stink. Sure, Nolan Gorman is promised a job now. Yeah, Jonathan India will be working with closer fences in Kansas City. True, Willi Castro has the benefit of Coors Field. But come on. If you’re staking your season on any one of them, you’ve already lost.

The two I can muster genuine enthusiasm for are Noelvi Marte and Kazuma Okamoto, but the problem for Marte is that he’s being drafted more like a sure thing than a sleeper. I could have gotten behind that when he was hitting .300 with an .856 OPS on Aug. 24, but did nobody see him hit .193 with a .549 OPS and a 33 percent strikeout rate over his final 29 games? We don’t really know who the 24-year-old is yet. You could say the same for the 29-year-old Okamoto, of course, but his track record in Japan speaks volumes. He actually had a higher wRC+ there than Aaron Judge had here last year. It was inflated by an injury-shortened season, but still. And while he doesn’t come as decorated as Munetaka Murakami, his contact skills are actually a strength rather than a debilitating weakness. I think it’s going to work out, and actually wouldn’t mind drafting Okamoto as my starter at third.

I know some still believe in Royce Lewis, but the past couple years have been so miserable for him, on top of the injury risk, that I can’t muster enthusiasm anymore. I have some affinity for Brett Baty still, particularly after he hit .308 with seven homers and an .866 OPS over the final two months, but unless the Mets give him the starting right field job (unlikely over prospect Carson Benge), he’s destined to split at-bats with Mark Vientos again. Jordan Lawlar might finally get his shot for the Diamondbacks, albeit in left field, but has struggled so mightily against everything but fastballs that I couldn’t treat him as anything more than a lottery ticket at this point.

*minor-league stats

I’d say there are more base-stealers here than usual, but the best are either drafted so early that you can’t really game plan for them (with Jose Ramirez, Jazz Chisholm, or Maikel Garcia falling into that category) or have major concerns about their playing time. You can see that this is another reason why Noelvi Marte is generating so much interest, though. The real game-changer would be Jordan Lawlar, who has a consistent track record of running in the minors and swiped last year’s 20 bases in just 63 minor league games, but we’re well acquainted with his struggles by now.

Manchester United are set for another busy summer transfer window with a number of areas of the squad in need of reinforcements.

Manchester United haven’t been shy in splashing the cash in the transfer market in recent years. The Reds have been guilty of not implementing a proper recruitment strategy and have often paid way over the odds for players.

United were wrong to back Erik ten Hag in the 2024 summer transfer window, only to sack him a few months later, and while they made some solid additions during Ruben Amorim’s time at the club, there are still plenty of issues that need addressing.

There will be money to spend this summer but United may well want to utilise the free agent market as they look to work within their budget. There are a couple of players who could strengthen the squad without the need to break the bank.

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The first option available to the Reds is Bayern Munich midfielder Leon Goretzka. The 31-year-old has been at Bayern for eight years and has enjoyed a trophy-laden spell with the German giants. Goretzka has regained his spot in the national team squad and looks certain to be on the plane to the World Cup this summer.

Recently, Goretzka has been pushed to the fringes of the Bayern squad after announcing his intention to leave the club. Given an opportunity at the weekend, he scored in a 3-0 victory over Werder Bremen.

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If United were to sign Goretzka, he would not be a direct replacement for Casemiro. While the Brazil international breaks up play and wins the ball back better than anyone in the United squad, Goretzka focuses more on driving play upfield. That being said, he has experience playing as a defensive midfielder, so he has that highly desired quality of versatility that the Reds will need if they return to European football next season.

With Adam Wharton and Carlos Baleba, both valued at around £100m, on United’s radar, Goretzka could be an alternative option should United want to sign a midfielder with more experience before pursuing younger targets in the years to come, once the likes of Wharton and Baleba have gained more Premier League experience.

The other free option United should be looking at is Dusan Vlahovic. His time at Juventus hasn’t gone to plan. That being said, he has scored a goal every 2.5 games for the Italian giants, having spent a lot of time on the bench.

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What will impress United is Vlahovic’s form in the Champions League in recent seasons. In the last two campaigns, the forward has scored seven goals in 13 appearances in the competition, including goals against Manchester City and Borussia Dortmund.

Vlahovic has a similar profile to Benjamin Sesko but at 26 has a bit more experience. Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee will likely both leave in the summer, so bringing in a player who can provide competition for Sesko is essential.

United could lose a lot of experience in the dressing room this summer and so two players who have played at the top and wouldn’t command a transfer fee could look very attractive.

England’s Will Jacks (AP Photo/Bikas Das)

Will Jacks produced a blistering all-round display as England cricket team defeated Italy national cricket team by 24 runs to book their place in the Super Eights of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, in their Group C fixture at Eden Gardens on Monday.Asked to bat first, England surged past the 200-mark for the first time in this edition, finishing on 202 for 7. The charge was led by Jacks, whose explosive unbeaten 53 came off just 22 balls and included four sixes and three fours. His late assault rescued England after they had slipped to 105/5. Sam Curran added a valuable 25 from 19 balls as the pair combined for a rapid 54-run partnership off only 25 deliveries for the sixth wicket.

Earlier, Phil Salt had set the tempo with 28 off 15 balls, helping England cross 50 inside five overs. However, Jos Buttler’s lean run continued as he departed for three, dismissed by Grant Stewart. Salt later fell to Ali Hasan, while Jacob Bethell (23 off 20) and Harry Brook (14 off 9) also failed to convert starts. Tom Banton contributed a fluent 30 off 21 before holing out to Manenti.Italy’s chase began in dramatic fashion. Jofra Archer’s searing opening over at 146kph reduced them to 1/2, soon becoming 22/3. Anthony Mosca fell first ball, while JJ Smuts edged to first slip. Harry Manenti followed, leaving Italy reeling.Yet the debutants responded bravely. Ben Manenti launched a stunning counterattack, smashing 60 off 25 balls, including a 22-ball fifty — the joint-fifth fastest of the tournament and joint-second fastest by an Associate batter in its history. He hammered five sixes and four fours, taking 21 runs off one Jacks over. Justin Mosca supported well with 43 off 34 as the pair added 92 in 48 balls to revive hopes.Jacks broke the stand by dismissing Ben, caught by Banton, before Adil Rashid removed Justin. Grant Stewart then reignited the contest with 45 off 23, striking two sixes off Archer and three against Rashid.However, Curran halted the surge with two wickets in two balls on his way to 3/22, while Jamie Overton claimed 3/18. Italy were bowled out for 178 in 20 overs, and England advanced with their Super Eights spot secured.