Curling suspense has emerged at the Winter Paralympics even before the first throw of the competition rock. The Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium reported the theft of two curling stones. These stones, part of the mixed doubles set used during the Olympics and now for the wheelchair mixed doubles event, were confirmed missing by World Curling representative Chris Hamilton via email.
Details on how the two 42-pound granite rocks were taken from the venue remain unclear. “The authorities are currently investigating the theft,” Hamilton stated in his email. The organizing committee for Milano Cortina 2026 assured that replacement stones have been secured promptly, ensuring no disruption to the competition.
The Paralympic mixed doubles teams were briefed on the situation during a team meeting in Cortina, while the other four-person teams received information about the stolen stones today. The wheelchair mixed doubles competition is set to kick off on Wednesday evening in Cortina, utilizing spare stones from the mixed doubles set that have been adjusted to match the set’s specifications.
Similar to the Olympic curling event, the Paralympics feature two sets of competition rocks owned by World Curling. The mixed doubles stones were new to competition at the Olympics, with the four-person set having been used once at the world junior curling championships in Cortina last April.
The wheelchair mixed doubles curling event commences on Wednesday and concludes on March 11, followed by the four-person wheelchair curling event starting on Saturday. The Paralympics opening ceremony is scheduled for Friday, March 6.