The Winter Paralympics have encountered a curling controversy with the theft of two curling stones at the Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium. The stolen stones, part of the mixed doubles set used in the Olympics and also for the wheelchair mixed doubles competition, were confirmed missing by World Curling spokesperson Chris Hamilton. The rocks, each weighing 42 pounds, were mysteriously removed from the venue, sparking an ongoing investigation by authorities.
Organizers swiftly arranged replacement stones to ensure no disruption to the competition. The Paralympic mixed doubles teams were briefed on the situation, with additional information shared with other teams today. The theft has not impacted the event schedule, with the wheelchair mixed doubles competition set to commence on Wednesday in Cortina.
Hamilton explained that spare stones from the mixed doubles set have been adapted to meet the required specifications and are now in use. Similar to the Olympic setup, both sets of competition rocks are under the ownership of World Curling. The stolen mixed doubles stones were previously unused in competitions until the Olympics, while the four-person set had seen action at the world junior curling championships in Cortina last April.
The wheelchair mixed doubles curling event will run from Wednesday until March 11, followed by the four-person wheelchair curling event starting on Saturday. The Paralympics will kick off with the opening ceremony on Friday, March 6.
