Not everyone will have been glued to their screens for the first sporting event, which happened to be mixed doubles curling. Great Britain faced Norway, but both nations had to halt their matches prematurely. However, the athletes themselves were not to blame.
Power Outage
Just a few minutes in, the match came to a standstill. "I think there's a minor power outage," noted the Eurosport and HBO Max commentator. "It's getting a bit dark in the arena. So, a technical timeout for the teams."
Footage clearly showed that the curling hall, which had been brightly lit moments before, had suddenly become quite dim. "A cozy setting, but less ideal for seeing where you're throwing, of course."
Laughing Olympians
Fortunately, the disruption didn't last too long. The scoreboards quickly flickered back on, and after some initial confusion, the main lights also returned. As a result, the curlers were able to resume their matches after a few minutes' delay. This was met with cheers and applause, as even the Olympians found humor in the situation. "Quite an unusual start to the Olympic Games."
For many Olympians, the Games haven't truly begun yet. The opening ceremony is scheduled for Friday evening, and from that point, the bulk of the sporting action will commence. However, in certain sports, it's not feasible to schedule all matches between Saturday, February 7th, and Sunday, February 22nd. Consequently, many curlers and ice hockey players are already in action before the official opening ceremony.
The Netherlands is not participating in curling. 'We' have never managed to qualify for the sport at the Games. This time, neither the men's curling team nor the mixed doubles succeeded.