Pucks, Boards, and Stones: The Games Expand — Day -1 Summary
On the final day before the San Siro is bathed in the lights of the Opening Ceremony, the "waiting game" has officially ended for more of the world's elite. While the torch winds its way through the streets of Milan, the stakes have shifted from practice runs to points on the board. Day -1 saw the Olympic circle expand as the first pucks were dropped, the curling standings began to take shape, and the skies above Livigno were filled with the first gravity-defying rotations of the Games.
From the technical precision required on the ice to the raw nerves of the qualifying ramps, the competition is no longer a preview—it is in full swing. Here is how the field began to separate itself on the eve of the official start of Milano-Cortina 2026.
Mixed Doubles Curling: The Leaderboard Takes Shape
The "Chess on Ice" continued at a relentless pace today, with Sessions 2, 3, and 4 giving us a good idea who is and isn't on form so far in these games.
Great Britain 10-5 Estonia: Dodds and Mouat win again, but this was far from comfortable, as the scoreboard may suggest this game was neck and neck till the 6th end, with both teams struggling with the pace of the ice throughout, in particular Marie Kaldvee. Dodds and Mouat move to 2-0 while Estonia move to 0-2 and need to be near perfect to advance
Sweden 7-4 Czechia: The Wranå siblings found another comfortable win after their 10-3 win against South Korea yesterday. Despite the Czechs keeping it close throughout, this never really looked in doubt. Isabella Wranå was particularly impressive in this one with a 92% shot success rate.
Norway 6-8 USA: The most dramatic match of the morning. This game was 6-6 going into the final end with Norway having the hammer, but an unbelievable draw from Korey Dropkin followed by a missed clearout from Magnus Nedregrotten meant this very even game (76% success vs 79%) edged the way of the Americans. This drops the Norwegians to 0-2, and with their game against Canada later now becomes must win for them. As for the Americans, this is a statement victory against one of the pre-tournament favourites.
Italy 8-4 South Korea: In Pre tournament favourites Italy's first game of the tournament, they had a very comfortable win, stealing 5 points across ends 3 and 4, putting the game beyond reach for the Koreans really early on, meaning the Italians never had to move out of first gear, meaning their game against Canada this evening we will see their true level. As for the Koreans, they haven't managed to get to grips with the ice speed, yet this tournament and, like all the 0-2 teams falling to 0-3, would all but end their tournament.
USA 7-4 Switzerland: Another impressive performance from the USA, moving into control when they stole 2 points in end 3 against the hammer, they were the far more consistent pair with a shot success of 81% compared with only 67% for the Swiss, who fall to 1-,1 but with Korea tonight they will be expecting to move to 2-1. The USA are 2-0, but with Canada up next thats a massive test for them to see if they're true medal contenders.
Norway 3-6 Canada: Canada won a very tight tactical affair where both teams played well, with both over 75% shot success. Both teams had very different strategies for this one, with 87.5% of Norway's shots being draws compared to only 67.5% of Canada's. This high takeout strategy from Canada led to a low-scoring game as far fewer stones remained in play. This result spells disaster for Norway as they fall to 0-3 and now have to win every remaining game to realistically have a chance of qualification. As for Canada, they move to 2-0, but with Italy, USA and Great Britain up next in this four-game stretch, including the Norway game, figure to make or break their tournament. If they go 2-1 in these games, they will be very confident of progression.
Canada 7-2 Italy:
In a stunning turn of events, Canada dismantled the defending champions 7–2, ending Italy's incredible 12-game Olympic winning streak.
Switzerland 8-5 Korea: Switzerland secured an 8–5 victory over South Korea in a match that came down to a clinical power play execution. The Swiss pair of Briar and Yannick Schwaller broke a 2–1 deadlock in the third end by scoring four, and despite a gritty Korean comeback attempt in the sixth, the Swiss remained poised to close it out. Switzerland moves to a solid 2–1, while the Koreans are left reeling at 0–3, facing an uphill battle for qualification.
Estonia 7-5 Sweden: In the upset of the session, Estonia made history with a 7–5 win over Sweden, marking their first-ever curling victory at an Olympic Games. Marie Kaldvee and Harri Lill outmanoeuvred the 2024 World Champion Wranå siblings, leading 5–3 after five ends and holding off a late Swedish charge. This result is a massive bracket-buster, pulling both teams to a 1–2 and 2–1 record, respectively and blowing the race for the top four wide open.
Czechia 7-8 Great Britain:
Great Britain edged out Czechia 8–7 in the session's most dramatic seesaw battle.
Current Curling Standings after 4 sessions:
| Team | Wins | Losses |
| Canada | 3 | 0 |
| Great Britain | 3 | 0 |
| United States | 2 | 0 |
| Switzerland | 2 | 1 |
| Sweden | 2 | 1 |
| Italy | 1 | 1 |
| Estonia | 1 | 2 |
| Czechia | 0 | 3 |
| South Korea | 0 | 3 |
| Norway | 0 | 3 |
Women’s Ice Hockey: The Power Shift Begins in Milan
The First Ice Hockey games of these Olympics ignited with high-stakes intensity today as Day 1 of the preliminary rounds offered a first glimpse at who has arrived in peak condition and who is facing early adversity.
Sweden 4-1 Germany: Sweden secured a vital opening win in Group B, overcoming an early deficit with a clinical display of special teams efficiency. Despite Germany striking first via a Katarina Jobst-Smith power play goal, the "Damkronorna" took over, outshooting the Germans 37-16 and converting three of their four power play opportunities. Lina Ljungblom was the standout, netting twice to spark the comeback and silence a vocal German crowd. This result puts Sweden in the driver's seat as expected for a top-three finish in Group B, while Germany, returning to the Olympics for the first time since 2014, now faces a close to "must-win" scenario against Japan to keep their quarterfinal hopes alive.
Italy 4-1 France: In front of a raucous home crowd at the Santagiulia Arena, Italy made an emphatic statement by dismantling France in their Olympic debut. The hosts dominated the shot clock 42-15, with Kayla Tutino scoring a historic first goal to cancel out an early French power play tally. Italy's relentless forecheck wore down the French defence in the second period, leading to a three-goal surge that put the game out of reach. For the Azzurre, this victory isn't just three points its the first time an Italian women's hockey team has ever won an Olympic Hockey game and gives them a real chance to get out of Group B and into the quarters if they can beat Japan and Germany assumung Sweden as predicted comfortably wins this group to advance. Meanwhile, France must regroup quickly as they now definitely need to win 2 out of three to stand a chance of progression, and to make matters worse, they play the overwhelming group favourites Sweden next.
USA 5-1 Czechia: In front of a vocal crowd at the Milano Rho Ice Hockey Arena, Team USA opened their Olympic campaign with a clinical 5-1 dismantling of Czechia. The Americans dictated the tempo from the jump, outshooting the Czechs 42-14 and finding the net late in the first period when Alex Carpenter tipped home a power-play goal. A two-goal explosion early in the second period from Joy Dunne and Hayley Scamurra effectively put the contest out of reach, while captain Hilary Knight added a highlight-reel strike to cement the dominant performance. For the Americans, the victory provides a perfect springboard for their "revenge campaign" as they look to reclaim gold, while Czechia must regroup quickly for a must-win clash against Switzerland after struggling to contain the U.S. team's relentless depth.
Canada P-P Finland: Due to a virus in the Finnish camp, this game will now be played on February 12th.
Men’s Snowboard Big Air: High Stakes and Heartbreak in Livigno
The qualification round at the Livigno Snow Park wrapped up this evening, and the intensity under the floodlights matched the 50-meter scale of the scaffolding ramp. While the air was thin, the technical difficulty was at an all-time high as the field of 30 was whittled down to the final 12.
A very close, tight-knit affair with 22 out of 30 athletes putting a run over 80 points down, and the qualifying mark being over 20 points higher than it was in Beijing, showing just how much the level has gone up over the past 4 years, with Major names like Red Gerrard and Mons Roisland failing to qualify
The twelve to go through to Saturday's final are:
Hiroto Ogiwara (Japan)
Ian Matteoli (Italy)
Kira Kimura (Japan)
Su Yiming (China)
Taiga Hasegawa (Japan)
Francis Jobin (Canada)
Lyon Farrell (New Zealand)
Rocco Jamieson (New Zealand)
Oliver Martin (United States)
Ryoma Kimata (Japan)
Dane Menzies (New Zealand)
Valentino Guseli (Australia)
Predictions summary per sport
Curling: 9-5
Ice Hockey: 2-1
Snowboarding: 1-2
Lots of upsets in the curling today, especially Estonia beating Sweden shaping up to be a great tournament. Who do you have making the top 4?
The Big Air final is also shaping up to be a cracker. Who makes your podium?
- Daniel Mott
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