2026 Winter Olympics: Britain, Canada, Sweden start as favourites for curling title
Milan, Feb 1
Curling at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics will open with the mixed doubles event on February 4 and conclude with the women's team gold medal match on February 22, spanning nearly three weeks of competition.
All three events, men's team, women's team, and mixed doubles, will be contested at the Cortina Olympic Stadium in Cortina d'Ampezzo, a northern Italian town in the Dolomitic Alps. The venue was originally built for the 1956 Winter Olympic Games.
The men's and women's team events will begin on February 11, starting with the first men's round-robin session.
As the host nation, Italy has automatically qualified for all three events. Led by reigning Olympic mixed doubles champions Stefania Constantini and Amos Mosaner, Italy is among the favourites in that discipline, reports Xinhua.
In the men's event, reigning champion Sweden and traditional powerhouses such as Britain and Canada are expected to provide strong competition.
In the women's event, Britain topped the podium four years ago in Beijing, while Canada defended their title at the 2025 World Curling Championships. Teams from Switzerland, Sweden, and South Korea are also considered major contenders, with matches often decided by the narrowest of margins.
China will field teams in both the men's and women's events. The skips, Xu Xiaoming and Wang Rui, are each bidding to make a third Olympic appearance, again putting their experience and leadership to the test at the Olympics.
Xu, 41, competed at the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics and later helped China finish fourth at the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics, the best result ever achieved by the Chinese men's curling team at the Winter Games.
At 30, Wang is widely regarded as the spiritual leader of the Chinese team. She competed in the mixed doubles event at the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympics and was called upon at a critical moment during the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics to move from third to fourth stone.
— IANS
Reader Comments
Canada and Sweden are always so strong! 🇨🇦🇸🇪 The mixed doubles event sounds exciting, especially with the Italian home team as reigning champs. Cortina looks like a stunning venue from the pictures.
It's a bit sad that our media coverage for Winter Olympics is so minimal in India. Sports like curling require immense strategy and precision, similar to chess on ice. We should appreciate these athletes more.
Good to see China's progress highlighted. Their athletes work very hard. For a country with limited winter sports tradition, a fourth-place finish is a huge achievement. Respect to Xu Xiaoming for competing at 41! 🏅
Britain topping the podium last time was a surprise for many. The competition seems really tight. Hope the matches are as thrilling as described. Will try to catch some highlights if they're telecast here.
While I enjoy reading about the Olympics, I have a respectful criticism: the article focuses heavily on predictions and past champions. I would have liked more on the actual sport - the rules, the tactics for new viewers, especially from regions like South Asia where it's less known.
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.