The 2026 Winter Olympics began quietly Wednesday night with the first curling matches at the Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium, two days before the official opening ceremony. Several hundred spectators watched as eight teams unpacked their equipment and prepared for competition.
Shortly after play began a brief power outage darkened the scoreboards for several games — Sweden vs. South Korea, Great Britain vs. Norway, Canada vs. the Czech Republic, and Estonia vs. Switzerland. Officials paused play when lights dimmed and when the main lights and heating in a nearby media center went out. Players stayed on the ice, sliding to remain ready, and spectators applauded when the lights came back on and play resumed. Organizers described the disruption as an “energy-related issue” that lasted about three minutes.
On the ice, Britain’s mixed doubles 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, are scheduled to begin their title defense against South Korea on Thursday.
The official opening ceremony Friday will be centered at Milan’s San Siro stadium, with three additional venues hosting parts of the traditional parade of athletes, underscoring the Games’ broad footprint. Competition will use a mix of existing venues stretching roughly 350 kilometers (217 miles) across northern Italy from Cortina to Milan.