Major development in Marie-Philip Poulin Olympic scandal

Team Canada’s women battled to the bitter end in an overtime loss to Team USA, settling for silver at the Milano Cortina Olympics. But the biggest story didn’t unfold on the ice. It happened after the final horn.

Canadian captain Marie-Philip Poulin, possibly competing in her final Olympic Games, requested the opportunity to address Canadian fans and thank them for their support. According to reports, the Olympic staff denied the request. More troubling to many was that Poulin was explicitly refused the opportunity to speak French during the post-game media availability.

For a player whose family and closest supporters are francophone, the moment felt deeply personal, and for many in Quebec, deeply disrespectful.

Poulin’s legacy in Canadian hockey is beyond debate: 39 Olympic points (21 goals, 18 assists), three gold medals, and a résumé that cements her among the greatest players in women’s hockey history. What should have been a moment of reflection instead sparked outrage across French-speaking Canada, with political figures condemning what they viewed as linguistic bias.

Now, the International Olympic Committee has issued a formal apology.

According to CBC, the Canadian Olympic Committee raised the matter with the IOC, which acknowledged there was an issue with interpretation during the post-game press conference. The Milano Cortina 2026 Venue Media Manager apologized immediately after the incident and again the following day, stating: “We are very sorry for any inconvenience that this may have caused.”

However, neither the IOC nor the COC clarified whether future accommodations will be made to ensure French-language access moving forward.

For many Canadians, the apology is noted, but the damage, they argue, is harder to erase.