At the Winter Paralympics, a theft has stirred controversy in the curling world even before the first round begins. The Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium has reported the disappearance of two curling stones. These rocks, part of the mixed doubles set used during the Olympics and the ongoing wheelchair mixed doubles competition, were confirmed missing by World Curling representative Chris Hamilton via email.
The method of removal of the two 42-pound granite stones from the venue remains a mystery. Hamilton stated that authorities are currently investigating the theft. Despite the incident, the Milano Cortina 2026 organizing committee has secured replacement stones, ensuring no disruption to the competition.
While the Paralympic mixed doubles teams were informed of the situation during a meeting in Cortina, the other four-person teams were updated separately. The spare stones from the mixed doubles set are now in use and have been adjusted to match the specifications of the original set, similar to the Olympic curling setup.
Unlike the mixed doubles stones, which saw their first competition use at the Olympics, the four-person set had been previously utilized at the world junior curling championships in Cortina last April. The wheelchair mixed doubles curling event will kick off Wednesday and wrap up on March 11, with the four-person wheelchair curling event commencing on Saturday. The Paralympics’ opening ceremony is scheduled for Friday, March 6.