![[US, Mexico & Canada customers only] Feb 4, 2026; Cortina d'Ampezzo, ITALY; A general view during the curling mixed doubles round robin competition during the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at the Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium.](https://statico.profootballnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/04204737/historic-winter-olympics-2026-start-02-05-26-1920x1206.jpg "Historic Winter Olympics 2026 Start Marred by Early Power Outage at Curling Venue")
The Winter Olympics are all set to commence tomorrow. However, a power outage spoiled the grand opening ceremony.
The power outage occurred during the curling preliminaries. Some of the events have commenced well before the official opening ceremony on February 6.
Power Outage Spoils Curling Experience in Winter Olympics
The curling events were held at the Stadio Olimpico del Ghiaccio in Cortina d’Ampezzo, one of the two cities hosting the Winter Olympics 2026, alongside Milan. However, just before the match between Great Britain and Norway, a power outage briefly interrupted the proceedings.
Luckily, the outage was only partial, and the lights came back on, cue to a large round of applause from the local spectators. Great Britain went on to win the mixed doubles match by 8-6.
READ MORE: Winter Olympics 2026: Dates, Schedule, Tickets Information & Key Details for Milano Cortina
This is not the only ‘controversy’ associated with the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics. Ahead of the inauguration, protests were organized over the alleged presence of US ICE and Border Patrol teams in Milano Cortina Winter Olympics. However, the Italian interior minister has dismissed these claims as absurd.
Interestingly, curling is not the only event being hosted ahead of the opening ceremony. According to the schedule published, the following are the events being hosted ahead of the opening ceremony :
- Alpine Skiing: February 4 to February 18
- Curling: February 4 to February 22
- Ice Hockey: February 5 to February 22
- Luge: February 4 to February 12
- Ski Jumping: February 5 to February 10, and February 12 to February 16
- Snowboarding: February 5 to February 18
The Milano Cortina Winter Olympics offer two types of viewing experience. Interested fans can opt for either the admission tickets, i.e., a direct view of the concerned event.
The other one is the hospitality package, which allows viewers not only to enjoy the live action but also to take a tour of the two cities of Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo. Both tickets can be purchased through the official Olympics.com portal.
Viewers can access the Winter Olympics through the following platforms in their respective countries :
- NBC and Peacock platforms in the United States [including Opening and Closing ceremonies]
- CBC and CBC Gem for Canadian viewers
- Nine, Channel 9. Stan and 9Now for the Australian Viewers
- EBU for UK viewers
The Winter Olympics are being jointly hosted by Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo. This is the first time Italy is hosting this event since the 2006 edition, when the Olympics were hosted by the Italian town of Turin [Torino].
Both cities had beaten a similar bid from Stockholm and Are, Sweden, in the 2019 IOC session. The quadrennial event will be held from February 6 to February 22.
