The Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina experienced a power cut just 10 minutes after the start, causing a temporary halt in the proceedings. The curling events kicked off the Games, but participants had to pause when the lights went out unexpectedly.
While the official Opening Ceremony at the San Siro stadium was scheduled for Friday, some events had already commenced. The initial mixed doubles round robin matches in curling had to be stopped due to a power failure at the Olympic Ice Stadium.
During the interruption, Britain’s Bruce Mouat and Jen Dodds were in the midst of their match against Norway when play was suspended. Despite the delay, the British curlers remained in good spirits, with Dodds even laughing at the situation while officials worked to resolve the issue.
Commentator Steve Cram from the BBC found humor in the situation, mentioning the power cut affecting the stadium and causing a pause in play due to scoreboard screens going off. After a brief delay of around five minutes, the lights flickered back to life, much to the amusement of the crowd, allowing the competition to resume.
Dodds and Mouat secured an 8-6 victory to start the round robin phase impressively, with Mouat downplaying the disruption, citing the great atmosphere and ice quality. The British team aims to surpass their previous Winter Games medal record of five, with UK Sport predicting a potential haul of up to eight medals following increased investment.
Supported by funds from the National Lottery and the government, UK Sport has allocated over £32.5m for the current Winter Olympics and Paralympics cycle, aiming to enhance the UK’s presence in winter sports.
Eve Muirhead OBE, a gold medalist from Beijing 2022, has transitioned to a senior leadership role within Team GB for Milan-Cortina 2026. Muirhead expressed confidence in the team’s potential, highlighting the opportunity to challenge conventional norms despite facing challenges in accessing snow and ice compared to other competitors.