Curling-'One less thing to worry about': Curlers glad to be free of COVID bubble
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Milano Cortina 2026 Olympics - Curling - Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium, Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy - February 3, 2026 General view as the Olympic rings are seen on top of the Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium REUTERS/Lisi Niesner
CORTINA D'AMPEZZO, Italy, Feb 4 - When curling gets underway at the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics on Wednesday, competitors will be relieved to swap thermometers, masks and social distancing for packed stadiums and family time after enduring the sterile bubble of Beijing 2022.
The Beijing Games were staged with limited spectators and visitors due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with several athletes having their preparations disrupted by enforced isolation.
"Beijing was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, but a little bit different. Less people from the outside could take part, family included," Norway's two-times Olympics mixed doubles medallist Magnus Nedregotten told Reuters ahead of the Games.
"This time we'll have some family coming to watch, which will be the first time in the Olympics. That will be a little bit special.
"It's also a relief that we don't need to be that strict when it comes to keeping ourselves healthy and not getting an infection. Last time, we were really on edge all the time."
Nedregotten's wife and doubles partner Skaslien said she was excited about the social aspects that were missing from the Olympic experience in China.
"You can go and talk to other athletes and sit together and have a meal," she added.
"You could not do that in Beijing. You had your own booth when you were eating too! I think social interaction is also a really big part of the Olympic experience.
"It will be nice this time to not think about COVID. You had to go test yourself every day and always be afraid of getting sick. This time it will be one less thing to worry about."
British men's skip Bruce Mouat, who won silver on his Olympic debut in Beijing, said he was eager to compete before crowds at the Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium.
"I think the first Olympics we didn't have anyone that we knew that was there, so having just familiar faces where family and friends and other athletes can come and watch us which is pretty exciting," Mouat told Reuters.
"I'm very excited to have supporters there and to be able to curl in Italy for the first time. I think it's going to be one of the highlights of my career."
The curling mixed doubles event will kick off the Winter Olympics action on Wednesday, two days before the opening ceremony takes place on Friday. REUTERS
