A theft incident has disrupted the Paralympic curling scene even before the commencement of the competition. The Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium reported the disappearance of two curling stones. These stones, part of the mixed doubles set used in the Olympics and also designated for the wheelchair mixed doubles event, were confirmed missing by World Curling representative Chris Hamilton.
The circumstances surrounding the removal of the two 42-pound granite rocks from the venue remain unclear as investigations are ongoing. Despite the theft, the Milano Cortina 2026 organizing committee quickly secured replacement stones to ensure no disruption to the competition.
The Paralympic mixed doubles teams were briefed on the incident during a team meeting in Cortina, while information was relayed to the other four-person teams separately. The wheelchair mixed doubles competition is set to kick off in Cortina on Wednesday evening, utilizing spare stones from the mixed doubles set, which have been adjusted to match the required specifications.
Both the Olympic and Paralympic curling tournaments involve two sets of competition rocks, all owned by World Curling. The mixed doubles stones had not been used in any competition prior to the Olympics, whereas the four-person set saw action at the world junior curling championships in Cortina last April.
The wheelchair mixed doubles curling event will run from Wednesday to March 11, followed by the four-person wheelchair curling event starting on Saturday. The Winter Paralympics’ opening ceremony is scheduled for Friday, March 6.
