The Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina experienced a power cut just 10 minutes after commencing, causing a temporary halt in proceedings. The curling events kicked off the Games, but participants had to pause when the lights unexpectedly went out.
Although the official Opening Ceremony at the San Siro was scheduled for Friday, some competitions had already begun. The initial mixed doubles round robin matches in curling were underway when the power failure occurred at the Olympic Ice Stadium.
The match involving Britain’s Bruce Mouat and Jen Dodds was interrupted in the first end due to the outage. Despite the delay, the British curlers maintained a positive attitude, with Dodds even finding humor in the situation while officials worked to resolve the issue.
Commentator Steve Cram from the BBC chuckled at the disruption caused by the power cut, noting the challenges faced by the organizers. Following a brief delay of around five minutes, the lights flickered back on to the delight of the crowd, allowing the competition to resume.
Dodds and Mouat secured an impressive 8-6 victory to kick off the round robin phase, with Mouat downplaying the disruption, describing it as a fun moment amidst the exceptional atmosphere and quality ice at the venue.
Looking ahead, UK Sport aims to surpass its previous Winter Games medal haul of five by targeting up to eight medals, following substantial investments from sources like the National Lottery and the government to enhance British winter sports competitiveness.
Eve Muirhead OBE, a gold medalist from the Beijing 2022 Games who has transitioned into a leadership role within Team GB, expressed confidence in the team’s potential for Milan-Cortina 2026, emphasizing the opportunity to challenge traditional norms despite potential snow and ice accessibility limitations compared to rivals.
