It’s not just adrenaline-fuelled events like the luge and slalom skiing grabbing attention at the 2026 Winter Olympics – the seemingly genteel sport of curling has also carved out its share of the spotlight.

First there was the “cheating” scandal involving a Canadian team, and now, on a lighter note, we bring you 61-year-old moonwalking ice technician Mark Callan.

The Scotsman’s job involves preparing the ice at the Cortina Curling Stadium for every draw, and video clips of him shuffling backwards with a backpack and hose while spraying water in the air have gone viral in recent days.

Callan’s moonwalk-like technique has seen him dubbed “Curling’s Michael Jackson”, with the footage shared on social media often accompanied by Jackson hits such as Billie Jean and Bad.

“It has taken me by surprise, because at the end of the day what seems to have gone viral is just me doing my job, so that’s an interesting turn of events,” the bemused internet sensation told AP

The task Callan is carrying out in the video clips is called pebbling and involves sprinkling the ice with droplets of water from the backpack he wears. These instantly freeze, forming different-sized bumps – or pebbles – on the ice that wear down over the course of a match.

“It is fundamentally the most important part of curling – without it, it simply would not be possible,” says an article on the Winter Olympics website.

“Competitors will sweep away at the ‘pebbles’, causing them to melt. In manipulating the ice, the stones glide across the sheet in the athlete’s desired direction.”

“If we didn’t sprinkle water on, the stone would stick.” 🥌

🧊 The process of preparing the Olympic curling ice is far more detailed than you may have imagined. Here’s ice technician Mark Callan to explain it.#Olympics #WinterOlympics @WorldCurling pic.twitter.com/3JI4sjpL90

— The Olympic Games (@Olympics) February 8, 2026

Callan likens pebbling to driving a car.

“People drive cars in different ways, so people pebble in different ways,” he said.

“But the most important thing when you’re pebbling is to find a style that suits you and allows for the even spreading of the pebbles, the little water droplets, on the ice.”

As chief ice technician at the Winter Olympics, he oversees a team whose other tasks include monitoring humidity and the ice and air temperature in the stadium.

According to BBC Sport, Callan had his first experience of curling ­– and pebbling – at an ice rink in Aberfoyle, Scotland, and now lives with his family in Denmark’s Copenhagen.

He admits he’s come in for some ribbing from his mates over the viral videos and moonwalking comparisons.

“They’ve been like, ‘dearie me, what are you up to?'” Callan told the BBC.

“They’re quite enjoying seeing some of the things out there and some of the comments as well… If, with all the doom and gloom in the world, it puts a smile on people’s face, then I’m fine with that.”

The curling world is no doubt also enjoying the positive publicity after a controversy at the Milano Cortina Games involving cheating allegations and an expletive-laden exchange on the ice.

The furore erupted at the weekend, when Sweden’s Oskar Eriksson accused Canada’s Marc Kennedy of touching the rock again after he had first released it – an action which is against the rules. An angry Kennedy turned around and unleashed on his opponent, telling him to “f— off”.

Later, another Canadian curler was accused of breaking the same rule in a different game, with videos of both incidents shared on social media and appearing to show the “double touch”.

Kennedy has since apologised for his fiery exchange, admitting he could have “handled myself better in the moment”, but adding:

“I also felt like I was standing up for my teammates and myself in a moment where, you know, it was kind of tough for us all game what Sweden was doing to us.”

The curler denied he was a cheat, and has even suggested Canada’s Swedish rivals may have somehow premeditated the whole incident, saying: “They’ve come up with a plan to catch teams in the act.”