The 2026 Winter Olympics sports program opened with the first curling matches in Cortina, Italy, on Wednesday night, two days before the official opening ceremony.
Several hundred spectators watched as eight teams unpacked their equipment in the Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium.
Matches had barely begun when a brief power outage blacked out the scoreboards for Sweden vs. South Korea, Great Britain vs. Norway, Canada vs. the Czech Republic, and Estonia vs. Switzerland. Officials paused play when lights dimmed and flickered and when the main lights and heat in the nearby media center went out. The curlers kept sliding on the ice to stay ready, and fans cheered when the bright lights returned and play resumed.
Organizers said the interruption was “due to an energy-related issue” and lasted about three minutes.
First Olympic results
The British pair Bruce Mouat and Jennifer Dodds opened with an 8-6 victory over Norway. Sweden, Canada, and Estonia also won their opening matches. The reigning Olympic mixed doubles champions, Italy, will begin their title defence against South Korea on Thursday.
The opening ceremony of the 2026 Winter Olympics on Friday will primarily take place at the San Siro football stadium in Milan, with three other venues hosting parts of the traditional parade of athletes, reflecting the Games’ wide footprint. Events will use various existing venues stretching 350 kilometers (217 miles) across northern Italy from Cortina to Milan.
(Edited by Sean Sinico)