After years of fanfare and anticipation, the 2026 Winter Olympics did not get off to a rousing start.
Roughly four minutes after the Games officially began on Wednesday, February 4, there was a partial power outage.
Some of the lights went off inside Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, where the mixed doubles curling competition was kicking off the Games.
All four matches happening simultaneously were forced to halt due to the power outage.
The pause lasted a few minutes and the crowd erupted with applause when the main lights were turned back on.
According to the Associated Press, venue officials said they were investigating the outage and had no immediate word on what caused the problem.
Though the delay was short, the outage became fodder on social media in the wake of speculation that Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo weren’t prepared to host the Games.
“So on day 1 we have a power outage at the curling venue … Buckle up,” one person wrote via X.
Another said, “We’ve got a brief power outage during the first end of play at the Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium! Off to an electric start!”
“Power outage at the Olympic curling centre. First round mixed doubles coverage currently paused. A great start to competition!” another joked.
Curling is the first sport on the Olympic schedule, which will kick into high gear after the Opening Ceremony on Friday, February 6.
Mixed doubles curling will continue on Thursday, February 5, when women’s ice hockey will also start. Team USA opens the Games against Czechia in the Group A preliminary round at 10:40 am ET.
The women’s hockey tournament was also hit with some tough news on Wednesday, when Finland was forced to cancel practice due to a stomach illness affecting at least four players.
“We’re reviewing a difficult situation,” team spokesperson Henna Malmber said.
Finland is scheduled to open competition against Canada on Thursday.
The Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium was originally built in 1955 for the Cortina d’Ampezzo Olympic Winter Games the following year, the first ever held in Italy. The stadium hosted the Opening Ceremony and figure skating competitions.
Meanwhile, one of the arenas hosting men’s and women’s hockey games was still uncompleted as of Wednesday, just hours before the start of the women’s tournament.
Construction workers could be seen “in hard hats and orange vests” around the Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena in Milan with “piles of broken-down Corona Zero boxes” scattered around the concession stands,” according to the AP.
“For the whole team that’s been working on it — that’s built the venue — it’s amazing what everyone’s accomplished,” said Veronika Muehlhofer, the venue manager at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena. “We still have cleaning and things to perfect for the first game [on Thursday], but these are my 9th Games, so you always come down to lots to do in the last few days. And then any time we drop the first puck, it’s like a big relief.”
The 11,800-capacity stadium was one of two new buildings erected in Milan for the 2026 Winter Olympics.
Hockey games will also take place at the Milano Rho Arena, a smaller temporary venue constructed for the Games.
The men’s hockey tournament begins on February 11, with Team USA’s first game taking place on February 12 against Latvia.
