Two days before the 2026 Winter Olympics opening ceremony officially kicks off in Italy, mixed doubles curling got competition under way at the Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium. Among the first teams on the ice were Scotland’s Bruce Mouat and Jen Dodds, representing Team GB against Norway’s husband-and-wife duo Magnus Nedregotten and Kristin Skaslien.
The match started in bizarre fashion. Loud music blared through the arena and colourful disco lights flashed across the ice, giving the venue more of a nightclub feel than an Olympic stadium. Mouat joked about it afterwards, calling the atmosphere a “bit of a boogie” and comparing it to “a rave.” He added that he did not mind when the lights eventually went off — because they went off for an entirely different reason.
During the very first end, a power cut hit the stadium. Parts of the venue fell dark, scoreboards went blank, and play was paused for several minutes while electricity was restored. Olympic organisers later confirmed the disruption was caused by “an energy-related issue” and lasted roughly three minutes. Outside, heavy snow had been falling on Cortina all day, with more than 8 inches (20.32 centimetres) accumulating in some spots. The outage also delayed the opening men’s singles luge training session by half an hour.
After that chaotic start, which saw Team GB lose the first end, Mouat and Dodds steadied themselves. The pair, who are considered strong medal contenders, responded emphatically in the second end with three points and never looked back.
The Norwegian pair kept things competitive through the middle stages, drawing level after the break having trailed 4–3 at the halfway mark. But a superb throw from Dodds in the sixth end helped Team GB pile on three more points and open up a decisive gap.
Norway turned to the power play in the closing stages to try and claw their way back, but Team GB held firm in the final end to close out an 8–6 victory.
Dodds spoke about how the pair found their rhythm as the match progressed. “It took us a bit of time to work out one end was curling more than the other, but once we did we took a step up in performance and took control from there,” she said. “It’s a good confidence builder to start the week.”
For those unfamiliar with the sport, curling involves players sliding heavy stones across ice towards a circular target. The aim is to land your stones closer to the centre than your opponent’s. Teammates sweep the ice in front of the stone to influence its path, making it a sport built on precision, strategy and teamwork.
