During the start of the mixed doubles curling match series that opened the 2026 Olympic Games, the lights in the arena at the Olympic curling stadium in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, briefly went out on Wednesday, delaying play, The New York Times reports, writes UNN.
Details
At the moment it happened, two of the four games were about to have throws. Estonian Harri Lill was preparing for his throw when the lights went out, but he continued anyway. Swede Rasmus Wrana was also about to throw, but stopped.
The scoreboard went dark, the timers stopped, and play was halted on all four sheets.
Players huddled around, waiting for news. Canadian Brett Gallant joked with his coaches. South Korean Kim Sun-young and Sweden's Isabella Wrana mimed their brooms as imaginary guitars.
After about three minutes, the lighting was fully restored. At that moment, sarcastic shouts erupted from the crowd. Magnus Nedregotten of Norway gave a thumbs up. Jennifer Dodds of Great Britain smiled. Lill applauded.
Play resumed after a delay of just over five minutes.
"Due to power supply issues at the Olympic Curling Stadium in Cortina, there was a brief pause in the competition," the organizing committee said in a statement provided to The Athletic. "The pause lasted about three minutes. Power was immediately restored, and the competition resumed and is proceeding as planned." The committee did not specify the cause of the problem.
Addition
After all the attention given to the rushed construction of the hockey arena in Milan and the luge center in Cortina, the first venue for competition was the curling stadium, built in that city for the 1956 Winter Olympics.
The stadium, officially known as Stadio Olimpico del Ghiaccio, was built as an open-air arena 70 years ago and was used for figure skating and ice hockey competitions, as well as opening and closing ceremonies. A roof was later added, and it was modernized for the 2026 Olympic Games.
In Milan, the construction of the hockey arena in Santagiulia is behind schedule. In addition, the ice is 90 centimeters shorter than required, and holes recently appeared during test competitions. The luge center in Cortina has also caused controversy due to rushed construction and high costs.
On Wednesday, Sweden, Switzerland, Great Britain, and Canada secured their first victories, while the USA and reigning Olympic champion Italy will debut on Thursday morning. The mixed doubles competition will continue until Tuesday.