Billy Joel once sang about seeing the lights go down on Broadway. Perhaps someone else will write a tune about the time the lights went out on the first day of the 2026 Winter Olympics mixed doubles curling matchups.
The Wednesday night lighting hiccup — with some of the lights going out — happened five minutes into the action during one of the first competitions of the Games at Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium in Italy, causing a stoppage in play.
The scoreboards inside the venue went out, and the time clocks stopped.
Play was stopped on all four sheets of ice as the arena worked to address the problem, which delayed play for a little more than five minutes, according to The Athletic.
The lights came back on after roughly three minutes.
“There was a brief interruption to competition at the Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium due to an energy-related issue,” the organizing committee said in a statement to The Athletic. “The interruption lasted approximately three minutes. Power was restored immediately, and competition has since resumed and is ongoing as planned.”
The Associated Press reported that it snowed in Cortina, leaving more than 8 inches in some parts. The opening luge training session was delayed for 30 minutes due to the power outage.
Eight teams competed in Wednesday’s mixed doubles event, with Sweden, Switzerland, Great Britain and Canada all coming out victorious.
Italy, the defending Olympic gold medal winners, and the United States play on Thursday.
In an interview with the AP, first-time Olympian Korey Dropkin expressed excitement about being in Italy.
“Being amongst the best, it’s a very cool atmosphere to be part of,” the American told the AP. “We’re looking forward to being ready to compete and pour our hearts out on the ice.”
