The sports programme for the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics began on February 4 with curling mixed doubles matches in Cortina d'Ampezzo, two days before the official opening ceremony. Four initial games featured teams from Sweden, South Korea, Great Britain, Norway, Canada, the Czech Republic, Estonia, and Switzerland. A brief power outage paused play during the event.
The 2026 Winter Olympics, hosted across northern Italy from February 6 to 22, launched its competitive action early with curling mixed doubles at the Olympic Ice Stadium in Cortina d'Ampezzo. This venue, previously central to the 1956 Games, hosted the first four matches on Wednesday in front of several hundred spectators. The matchups included Sweden against South Korea, Great Britain versus Norway, Canada facing the Czech Republic, and Estonia taking on Switzerland.
Italy, the reigning Olympic champions in mixed doubles from Beijing 2022 with athletes Stefania Constantini and Amos Mosaner, was scheduled to begin its title defense against South Korea on Thursday. The event marks the start of curling competitions, which will continue through February 10 for mixed doubles, followed by men's and women's events.
A brief power outage interrupted play and also affected luge training, though details on the duration or impact on scores were not specified. The Olympics span 350 kilometers, utilizing existing venues from Cortina's iconic skiing areas to Milan, where the opening ceremony will primarily occur at San Siro stadium on February 6, with parades at additional sites.
Curling involves teams throwing red and yellow stones toward a target house on the ice, using brooms to sweep and influence path. Matches consist of 10 ends, with points awarded for stones closest to the center button. Favorites in mixed doubles include Italy, Great Britain, and Norway, while the United States fields Korey Dropkin and Cory Thiesse.
