Curling has taken the world by storm, and even has an Olympic cheating scandal.

The Olympic Curling tournaments began in Milan on Feb. 4 with mixed doubles. On Feb. 13, the curling world was rocked by a cheating scandal, when Canadian Marc Kennedy double-touched the stone, prompting an argument with the Swedish team. Canada went on to win that match 8-6.

Curling made its debut at the Olympics in 1924 at Chamonix, France, where Great Britain took home gold. It was removed as a medal event until the 1998 Games in Nagano, Japan. Mixed doubles is a newer event, making its debut in 2018 at Pyeongchang, South Korea. There are around 2.3 million people in the world who play, with about 90% of them living in Canada. These large numbers are echoed by Canada’s success in the Olympics, winning the most medals with 12: six gold, three silver, and three bronze.

Sawyer Berzins, a junior hockey player from Littleton, Colo., has become fascinated with curling.

“I have enjoyed watching it,” he said. “It started as a bit of a joke after a hockey game ended, but it was so weird that I have been hooked.”

Sawyer claims that his interest stems from how random the sport seems.

“It’s something that you would only be interested in at the Olympics, and then you forget about, but it’s so weird that I think people will be interested for a longer time,” he said.

The following is a set of basic curling rules provided to NBC by the International Olympic Committee (the Olympic governing body) and World Curling, the international curling governing body:

“During each end of traditional curling, teams deliver eight stones, two stones per person. Each end starts with the leads alternating throws until each has thrown their two stones. They are followed by the seconds in the same manner, and so on. The order of the lineup may not be changed during the game.

During the round robin, a team may concede the game once a minimum of six ends have been completed. During the playoffs, a minimum of eight ends must be completed. Conceding the game when the losing skip feels they are too far behind to come back is fairly common and is an accepted part of the sport’s etiquette.

Curling is a game of skill and of tradition. A well-executed shot is a delight to see, and it is also a fine thing to observe the time-honored traditions of curling being applied in the true spirit of the game. Curlers play to win, but never to humble their opponents.

A true curler never attempts to distract opponents, nor to prevent them from playing their best, and would prefer to lose rather than to win unfairly. Curlers never knowingly break a rule of the game, nor disrespect any of its traditions. Should they become aware that this has been done inadvertently, they will be the first to divulge the breach.

While the main object of the game of curling is to determine the relative skill of the players, the spirit of curling demands good sportsmanship, kindly feeling, and honorable conduct. This spirit should influence both the interpretation and the application of the rules of the game and also the conduct of all participants on and off the ice.”

Sawyer was outraged by the double touch by Canada, but the drama fueled his interest.

“I mean, as someone who has no clue what the rules are, that seemed pretty illegal,” he said. “The exchange after was awesome because it isn’t a very aggressive sport. It was crazy.”

Whie Daniel Raff-Cohen, a junior from New Rochelle, N.Y., thinks the controversy is funny, he admits the publicity has gotten him hooked on the niche sport.

“I found out about it on Instagram reels, and it was hilarious,” he said. “It made me want to watch curling.”

In a statement to the BBC, a spokesperson for World Curling said, “During forward motion, touching the granite of the stone is not allowed. This will result in the stone being removed from play.”

This statement, along with videos from the incident, fueled the internet into making memes, compilations, and highlight reels all based on the Canadian double-touch.

The Canadian curler came out with a statement about the scandal.

“I’ve curled my whole life, never once with the intention of getting an advantage through cheating,” he said. “So, when my integrity gets attacked, I get my back up and get a little bit aggressive.”

After the scandal, the Canadian Team went on to win the gold medal 9-6 versus Great Britain.