Curling
The first Olympic competition begins with a breakdown
The start of the Olympics went slightly wrong: the curlers opened the Winter Games in Milan and Cortina – and suddenly found themselves in a dark ice rink.
Hopefully this isn’t a bad omen for these 25th Winter Olympics. Even before the official opening ceremony on Friday, there was a breakdown in the first Olympic competition.
The curlers were allowed to open the games in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo. The mood in Cortina d’Ampezzo, where the curling competitions take place, was great and full of anticipation, but it was dampened: the lights suddenly went out during the first matches. There was also nothing left to see on the scoreboard.
At least television viewers were informed that the competitions had been interrupted due to “technical maintenance”. The parallel mixed doubles games between Sweden and Korea, Great Britain and Norway, Canada and the Czech Republic as well as Estonia and Switzerland were still in the first end.
Olympia: Curlers take the break with humor
The interruption lasted about five minutes, but the athletes and fans in the Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium took it calmly – after a short period of confusion. Two curlers even grabbed their brooms and converted them into air guitars, making the audience laugh.
After the power outage was resolved, the games were completed without further incident – with victories for Sweden, Great Britain, Canada and Estonia. “It didn’t bother me that the lights went out,” said British curler Bruce Mouat. “It had something of a rave or a nightclub about it.”
The opening ceremony on Friday marks the official start of the Winter Games. It will take place in Milan’s football temple, San Siro. In addition to Milan, parts of the show will also be performed in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Bormio and Predazzo. There will be a total of 116 medal decisions at the Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo.
Sources: BBC, Olympics, DPA news agency
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