According to World Curling spokesperson Chris Hamilton via CBC, two curling stones for the Winter Paralympics have been stolen from the Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium. The stolen stones were part of the mixed doubles set used at the Olympics and were supposed to be used for the wheelchair mixed doubles event at the Paralympics. Authorities have launched an investigation into the theft of the curling stones, as stated by World Curling spokesperson Chris Hamilton.
It is unclear how the stones, made from 42lbs of granite, were taken from the venue. The theft controversy has not had any impact on the mixed doubles competition, which began on Wednesday. The Milan-Cortina 2026 organizing committee confirmed that replacement stones had been resourced in time for the matches.
Spare stones from the mixed doubles set are now reportedly being used and have been brought to the same specifications as the rest of the set. The mixed doubles curling competition began on Wednesday to fit in round-robin matches before the gold medal match on March 11. This is the first time there has been competitive action at the Games ahead of the opening ceremony.
The Winter Paralympics are set to officially start with the Opening Ceremony on Friday, according to sources. In the ongoing competition, Jo Butterfield and Jason Kean beat the USA 5-4 in a wheelchair curling match at the Paralympics. Butterfield and Kean lost their opening two matches in Cortina but have since won against Latvia and the USA.
Butterfield said, 'I enjoyed that one, it felt like a battle. ' Butterfield and Kean were the first members of the ParalympicsGB team to start their Games campaign. Butterfield is aiming to become the first Briton to win summer and winter Paralympic golds.
Regarding Great Britain's opening wheelchair curling match at the Paralympics, Great Britain suffered a 10-7 defeat by Estonia in their opening wheelchair curling round-robin match at the Paralympics. The theft incident follows previous curling controversies from the Olympics. At the Olympics, Swedish star Oskar Eriksson accused Canadian curler Marc Kennedy of 'double-touching' his deliveries.
' Kennedy argued that he was set up by the Swedish team, whom he claimed had concocted a plan to catch him in the act of double-touching. Kennedy and Canadian coach Paul Webster accused Sweden of installing cameras to catch them cheating. The overall impact of the theft and previous controversies on the Paralympic curling events remains unclear, as the competition has proceeded with replacement stones.
The investigation into the theft is ongoing, but no suspects have been identified yet. The stolen stones, weighing 42 pounds each, are specialized equipment crucial for the wheelchair mixed doubles event, highlighting the unusual nature of the theft. The mixed doubles competition, which started early to accommodate scheduling, involves teams from multiple nations competing in round-robin matches leading to the gold medal match on March 11.
The use of spare stones ensured no disruption, with organizers emphasizing that all stones meet strict specifications for fairness. The ParalympicsGB team, including Butterfield and Kean, continues its campaign amid these developments, with Butterfield's potential historic achievement adding to the event's significance. The previous Olympic controversy involving accusations and counter-accusations between Swedish and Canadian teams underscores the high-stakes environment in curling, though it is unrelated to the current theft.
As the investigation continues, security measures at the venue may be reviewed to prevent similar incidents in future events.