OLYMPICS: Curling-Champions Sweden lose opener at Games, Britain, Canada win

CORTINA D'AMPEZZO, Italy – Defending Olympic curling champions Sweden suffered a 7-6 loss to host nation Italy in their opening men’s round-robin match at the Winter Games on Wednesday, as skip Niklas Edin’s pursuit of another medal got off to a rocky start.

Edin, who won his third Olympic medal at the Beijing Games four years ago, miscued a shot early, allowing Italy to steal a point in the first end. Sweden later leveled the score at 1-1 in the fourth end.

Italy quickly took control after Sweden lost their last-stone advantage, with Joel Retornaz landing a perfect takeout to score three points and give the hosts a 4-1 lead at the halfway mark.

“A loss is tough, but it means more for us to play good curling,” Edin said. “In the second half, we played really well and maybe outplayed them, but we just didn’t score enough. We’re going to focus harder in the first half and generate more out of our shots.”

Edin responded with a double takeout to score two points, and his draw for two in the eighth end tied the game at 5-5. Italy then scored two in the penultimate end to lead 7-5. With just four seconds left, Edin managed only one point, sealing Sweden’s defeat.

Sweden had also lost to Italy in the round-robin stage of the European Championships in November, though they went on to win the tournament. “We’ve won 16 international championships, and maybe only two without losses,” Edin noted. “The level is so tough now, so it’s about playing good enough curling to get ourselves into winning positions.”

Britain, Canada Win

Meanwhile, Bruce Mouat led Britain to a 9-4 victory over China, reaffirming the 2025 world champions’ status as favorites. Brad Jacobs’ Canada overcame 2024 European champions Germany with a 7-6 win in an extra end. The U.S. defeated the Czech Republic 8-7, cheered on by a large crowd at the Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium.

Teams will play nine matches in the round-robin stage, continuing Thursday. The top four teams advance to the semifinals next week, while the women’s competition also begins on Thursday. -Reporting by Aadi Nair; Editing by Toby Davis and Ken Ferris/Reuters