Why Olympic-Opening Curling Matches Were Delayed After Just Five Minutes

There was a brief delay in the opening curling matches at the Milan-Cortina Olympics.

The first curling match was delayed due to a power outage. | Peacock / NBC

The 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympic games are underway ahead of Friday's opening ceremony.

Events got kicked off on Wednesday with mixed curling matches. Canada is taking on the Czech Republic, Sweden is going up against South Korea, Estonia faces off against Switzerland and Great Britain is battling Norway.

It's certainly an exciting day when the Olympics kick off, but that excitement turned into uncertainty just five minutes into the match as there was a power outage at the curling arena.

🔌⚡️ POWER OUTAGE AT THE CURLING ARENA!

Play had stopped 5 minutes into Olympic competition. Unbelievable. pic.twitter.com/HcrpqzxCzS

— Mitch Goldich 🐙 (@mitchgoldich) February 4, 2026

It was only a brief outage; the lights came back on quickly at the arena and play was able to resume.

RELATED: Don't Call Them ‘Cool Runnings’—This Jamaican Bobsled Team Is Looking for More

But it was certainly an inauspicious start to the Olympic proceedings in Italy.

As for the United States, their mixed curling matches will begin on Thursday. Coverage of the matches can be viewed on Peacock and USA.

---