The Olympic curling competitions in Cortina d’Ampezzo have started with a technical glitch.
During the first games of the mixed tournament before the opening ceremony on Friday, the lights suddenly went out in the Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium and the electronic display of the results also temporarily failed. The organizers announced via a TV image that the games were interrupted due to “technical maintenance”.
The athletes were confused and looked at each other questioningly. Two curlers passed the time and imitated an air guitar with their brooms. When the lights came back on after around five minutes, the spectators applauded – the curling teams acknowledged it with a laugh.
The stadium in the winter sports resort was built in 1955 for the Winter Games the following year. The German curlers are not taking part in the mixed tournament at the current Winter Games and are only qualified for the men’s event.
