A view of the Stadio Olimpico del Ghiaccio, which will be called Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium, venue for the curling discipline at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, last month.Giovanni Auletta/The Associated Press
For at least one fortnight, the sedate vibe commonly experienced at many curling venues is expected to get a significant boost.
Spectators at the Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium will likely be loud and lively during the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics. The seating setup in the historic venue makes it feel like fans are right on top of the action.
Host Italy is primed to be a medal contender, which should hike the energy even more as supporters familiar with the Roaring Game mix with non-curling fans eager to enjoy an Olympic experience in the sports-mad country.
In other words, don’t expect to see spectators with knitting needles in the stands.
“I think having the European crowd, the soccer-type crowd, there’s certainly going to be a huge atmosphere, and that’s something I really remember from Pinerolo, [Italy in 2006] and also other Games too,” said Curling Canada high-performance director David Murdoch. “Whether it’s Sochi [in 2014] or Vancouver [in 2010], there is a different atmosphere, a different vibe, a different type of fan there.
“But certainly that arena will be noisy, and it’s going to be a lot of fun in there.”
Originally a 12,000-seat roofless U-shaped building, the Stadio Olimpico del Ghiaccio hosted the opening and closing ceremonies, hockey and figure skating at the 1956 Cortina d’Ampezzo Games.
Located about 400 kilometres northeast of Milan, the small town boasts stunning visuals thanks to the nearby Dolomites mountain range.
Inside, the venue – now a 3,500-seat facility – has been refurbished over the years. A roof was added in 2003, but the rink still has its wooden stands.
The Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium is seen ahead of the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics on Sunday in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy.Carmen Mandato/Getty Images
Murdoch played there in 2010 when he represented Scotland at the world men’s curling championship. He returned to the rink last April to watch the Canadians compete at the world junior playdowns, which served as an Olympic test event.
“Even just walking into the arena, there’s the old plaques, some of the signage is still there, so there’s a real feel and sense of history,” he said. “I think also the fact that we’ve got the sliding events [nearby], the finish line is literally next to the arena as well.
“So there’s going to be quite the atmosphere [in the area].”
Tom Brewster, who teamed with Murdoch on the Great Britain side that won Olympic silver in 2014, is serving as the venue’s sports manager for curling and wheelchair curling.
About 900 temporary seats have been added along the side of the sheet, he said, which he expects will boost enthusiasm even more.
“The Italians really support their teams, and I know at the test event there was a lot of Italians [who] came in, a lot of Italians from Cortina itself that are pretty knowledgeable in the sport came and watched,” he said. “So I think it’ll be a good atmosphere.”
Canadian mixed doubles coach Laine Peters was also on site last spring to work with the juniors. She said the arena had a “log cabin” kind of feel.
“[It’s] really cosy, kind of a ski resort sort of vibe to it,” she said. “There’s lots of wood, and there’s lots of windows that you don’t normally see in a Canadian facility. It’s just really cool.”
Rachel Homan will skip the Canadian women’s team at the Games, and Brad Jacobs will skip the men’s team. The venue will also host wheelchair curling and the closing ceremony at the Paralympic Games in March.
Cortina is the hometown of Stefania Constantini, who won Olympic gold in mixed doubles with Italy’s Amos Mosaner in 2022 at Beijing.