The Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina experienced a power outage just 10 minutes after starting, causing a temporary pause in the curling events. Despite the official Opening Ceremony scheduled for Friday at the San Siro, some competitions had already commenced, including the first mixed doubles round robin matches in curling, which had to be halted due to the power failure at the Olympic Ice Stadium.
Play was stopped abruptly as Britain’s Bruce Mouat and Jen Dodds were in the midst of their match against Norway. Dodds appeared to take the disruption in good humor, even laughing as officials tried to resolve the issue with the venue staff.
BBC commentator Steve Cram, finding humor in the situation, mentioned the power cut at the stadium, noting the pause in play due to the scoring screens going off. Despite the setback, the audience reacted positively as the lights flickered back on after a brief delay of around five minutes, allowing the competition to resume.
Dodds and Mouat managed to secure an 8-6 victory, kicking off the round robin phase on a high note. Mouat downplayed the interruption, describing it as a fun experience akin to a dance club atmosphere. The UK Sport organization has expressed optimism for the Winter Games, aiming to surpass the country’s previous best medal haul of five achieved at Sochi 2014 and Pyeongchang 2018.
With significant investments from the National Lottery and the government, UK Sport has allocated over £32.5m for the current four-year cycle to support winter sports at the Olympics and Paralympics, aiming to enhance the UK’s presence in these disciplines.
Eve Muirhead OBE, a gold medalist from the Beijing 2022 Games, has transitioned into a leadership role within Team GB for Milan-Cortina 2026. Emphasizing the team’s potential, Muirhead expressed confidence in challenging the norm and making a mark in the upcoming Games despite potential challenges in accessing snow and ice compared to some competitors.