First Winter Olympics Event Was Halted Within Moments

The Winter Olympics got underway Wednesday with the first curling matches in Cortina, Italy, but came to a halt only moments later because of a power outage. Officials briefly paused the matches at the historic curling stadium when the lights dimmed and flickered. Curlers kept sliding on the ice to stay ready. Fans cheered when the bright lights came back shortly after and competition resumed, the AP reports.

• Curling in Cortina—eight teams in mixed doubles—began two full days before the opening ceremony for the 2026 Milan Cortina Games. American curler Korey Dropkin said he has been waiting a long time for this moment. "Being amongst the best, it's a very cool atmosphere to be part of," said Dropkin, a first-time Olympian who will begin competition Thursday. "We're looking forward to being ready to compete and pour our hearts out on the ice."

• Opening night in the mountain resort was just the first of the round robin matches in mixed doubles curling, where teams with one woman and one man face off against one another.
• Bernard Benoit traveled from Ontario, Canada, to root for his home team before going on to meet his daughter in Milan. While he's a longtime curling fan, it's his first time at the Olympics. He said he came a long way to see the best in the world because he loves how curling is a "mix of athleticism and intellect" and a strategy game.
• Benoit is cheering for Canadian couple Jocelyn Peterman and Brett Gallant, who are competing in mixed doubles. Three of the teams are married couples and one is a sibling team. Marie Kaldvee and Harri Lill are the first ever to compete for Estonia in curling. Italian duo Stefania Constantini, who is from Cortina, and Amos Mosaner are the defending world and Olympic champions in mixed doubles.