By Aadi Nair
CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy, Feb 4 (Reuters) – The mixed doubles curling competition took centre stage on Wednesday as the action at the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics started two days before the Opening Ceremony, with fans braving the snow in Cortina d’Ampezzo to watch it.
The first stones thrown at the Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium drew enthusiastic cheers and applause from supporters who maintained high spirits, though the sustained snowfall that blanketed the Dolomite town left the venue not quite full.
The action was also briefly interrupted by technical issues in the opening end as the lights cut out and the scoreboards went blank, with the second big cheer of the night going up when the power was restored.
Wednesday’s four games marked the start of just under three weeks of curling at a stadium steeped in Winter Games history.
The venue played a key role during the 1956 Winter Olympics in Cortina 70 years ago, hosting the opening and closing ceremonies of those Games as well as the figure skating competition and ice hockey.
“We’re excited to be kicking things off. As an athlete, you’re waiting for things to get going,” Canada’s Brett Gallant said after a training session on Wednesday morning.
“Honestly, I’m just glad the wait is over and we get to hit the ice and do what we do best. So it’s exciting to have our training here this morning and know that we can compete tonight. It’s been a long wait for us and it’s super exciting.”
While just one session of games is scheduled on Wednesday, spectators will be treated to a full day’s worth of curling action on Thursday, with defending champions and home favourites Italy among the teams in action.
The women’s ice hockey preliminaries also begin in Milan on Thursday.
The Opening Ceremony will take place on Friday, with Milan’s famous San Siro stadium co-hosting the event alongside Cortina, Livigno in Valtellina and Predazzo in the Trento province, marking the first “widespread ceremony” in the history of the Games.
(Reporting by Aadi Nair, editing by Ed Osmond)
