A severe snowstorm has thrown the Winter Olympics into disarray, causing significant delays and traffic chaos that directly impacted Team GB's crucial curling matches. The blizzard, which dumped around three feet of snow since Wednesday night, created hazardous conditions on the roads around Cortina, Italy, disrupting Games-related vehicles and athletes' schedules.
Team GB's Must-Win Match Postponed
Sophie Jackson's struggling women's curling rink faced a 25-minute delay for their must-win match against Italy, originally scheduled for 2:05 PM local time on Thursday. Both teams encountered difficulties reaching the venue due to the treacherous road conditions. Team GB currently sits in sixth place and must defeat Italy to maintain any hope of advancing to the semi-finals, while also relying on favorable results from other matches.
Widespread Olympic Disruption
The snowstorm has caused widespread cancellations and delays across multiple Olympic events. Bruce Mouat's men's curling rink was also informed of a 25-minute delay ahead of their semi-final clash with Switzerland on Thursday evening. Volunteers were seen working tirelessly to clear snow at venues like the shooting range in Anterselva, but the sheer volume of snowfall overwhelmed efforts.
An International Olympic Committee spokesperson acknowledged the challenges, stating: "Snow is an occupational hazard for winter sports. The federations are used to dealing with delays or bad weather. It is something we have to work with."
Unprecedented Weather Conditions
Former Team GB skier Chemmy Alcott, who has visited the region annually for 25 years, expressed surprise at the intensity of the storm. "We rarely get conditions like this," Alcott remarked. "Heavy snowfall has interrupted the Winter Olympics and caused chaos on the roads. We rarely get snow coming in and sticking on the roads. Even the locals are struggling to drive, so it's carnage out there."
Emergency services were busy responding to incidents, including a crash that left a DHL delivery van crumpled. The iconic Olympic rings in Cortina were nearly buried under the accumulating snow, illustrating the severity of the weather conditions.
Medal Miss for Great Britain
While weather disruptions dominated headlines, Team GB also experienced disappointment in competition results. Emily Harrop, a three-time world champion in ski mountaineering whose parents are English, claimed a silver medal for France in the ski mountaineering sprint in Bormio. Harrop was the British downhill champion in Alpine skiing in 2015 but chose to compete for France, her nation of birth.
Harrop led the race during the uphill portion but lost her advantage during a slow transition when removing her climbing skins, allowing Marianne Fatton to pass and secure gold by 2.38 seconds. "My dad wanted me to go with the Brits," Harrop revealed before competition. "I've grown up in France and all my coaches, all my training partners, it's all been through the French system. It was hard for me to turn my back on all that."
She added that when she began ski mountaineering, "the British team didn't really exist and they weren't actually competing on the World Cup, so the question of allegiance didn't really get asked." This result represents a missed opportunity for Great Britain's medal tally, adding to the challenges faced during this weather-impacted Olympic day.
