As the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics approach, Canadian curlers are gearing up for a demanding competition slate. Brett Gallant will compete in mixed doubles with wife Jocelyn Peterman before joining the men's team, while Emma Miskew and Rachel Homan aim to end Canada's women's curling medal drought. Google marked the occasion with an animated doodle celebrating the sport.
The 2026 Winter Olympic Games, hosted by Italy from February 6 to 22, will feature curling events at the Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium in Cortina d'Ampezzo. Google launched an animated doodle titled “Curling 2026” on its homepage, depicting a player sliding a 44-pound stone toward a 12-foot house target. The artwork integrates the Google logo, with the animation in the two 'O's.
Curling involves two teams of four players each, who take turns throwing eight stones per end over a 150-foot ice sheet. The skip directs play, and sweepers brush the ice to influence the stone's path. Points are scored by the team with stones closest to the center after all throws, with games typically consisting of multiple ends.
For Canada, 35-year-old Brett Gallant from Prince Edward Island, now in Alberta, embraces a grueling schedule. He and 32-year-old Jocelyn Peterman begin mixed doubles on February 4 against Czechia, followed by nine round-robin games. Gallant then shifts to second on Team Jacobs for men's curling. "Close to 20 days in a row—that’s pretty exciting," Gallant said, noting support from physiotherapist Kim Richardson. The couple, parents to two-year-old Luke, drew from past experiences like Gallant's 2022 Beijing bronze and their 2019 world mixed doubles silver.
In women's curling, 36-year-old Emma Miskew of Ottawa teams with longtime partner Rachel Homan for their second Olympics. After a disappointing 2018 Pyeongchang showing, where they missed semifinals, the duo has dominated, winning undefeated Scotties titles in 2024 and 2025, consecutive world championships, and a record 20 Grand Slam trophies. Recent team adjustments include adding Tracy Fleury in 2022 and Sarah Wilkes as lead. Their round-robin starts February 12 against Denmark. "We’ve always stuck together and worked hard together," Miskew said of Homan. Both were inducted into the Ottawa Sports Hall of Fame in 2026.
Curling competitions precede the opening ceremony, with men's ice hockey concluding the Games on February 22.
