The Milano Cortina Winter Olympics encountered a brief interruption as a power outage halted proceedings just 10 minutes into the event. The games commenced with curling matches, but competitors had to pause when the lights suddenly went out.

Although the official Opening Ceremony at the San Siro is scheduled for Friday, some events kicked off early. The initial mixed doubles round robin matches in curling had to be momentarily stopped due to a power failure at the Olympic Ice Stadium.

During the first end of their match against Norway, British curlers Bruce Mouat and Jen Dodds had to stop play as officials intervened. Despite the delay, Dodds maintained a positive attitude, even sharing a laugh with an official amidst the disruption.

BBC commentator Steve Cram found humor in the situation, remarking on the power cut and the temporary pause in play due to the scoring screens going dark. Fortunately, after a five-minute delay, the lights flickered back on in the arena, allowing the competition to resume to the crowd’s cheers.

Dodds and Mouat secured an 8-6 victory, starting the round robin phase on a high note despite the unexpected interruption. Mouat downplayed the incident, describing it as a fun dance club-like experience amid the great atmosphere and quality ice at the venue.

With the UK aiming for Winter Games success, UK Sport has invested over £32.5 million through the National Lottery and government funding for the current four-year cycle. This investment reflects the ambition to strengthen the UK’s presence in winter sports and potentially achieve up to eight medals.

Eve Muirhead OBE, a gold medalist at Beijing 2022, has transitioned to a leadership role within Team GB as Chef de Mission for Milan-Cortina 2026. Expressing confidence in the team’s potential, she sees a promising opportunity to challenge the established norms in winter sports despite the challenges of limited access to snow and ice.

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