Mouat and Dodds get Team GB off to winning start

Bruce Mouat and Jen Dodds overcame a power cut and the loss of the first end to get Team GB's Winter Olympics off to a winning start in the mixed doubles curling against Norway.

The Scottish duo, who are considered serious medal contenders in this event, cut relaxed figures inside the quirky, partially-wooden Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium in Italy, which was built for the 1956 Games.

Even the loss of light in parts of the venue during an ugly opening end didn't discomfit last year's world silver medallists, who took three in the second end and would never trail again in the first of their nine round-robin matches.

Mouat and Dodds ultimately won 8-6 to right the wrongs of the 2022 semi-final, in which they spurned a lead to lose to the Norwegian pair before going on to be beaten by Sweden in the bronze-medal match.

And it sets them up nicely for Thursday's ties against Estonia (09:05 GMT) and the Czech Republic (18:05) - both of whom lost their openers - live across the BBC.

Team GB duo shine under disco lights

The pounding music and disco lights lent a sense of occasion to the first action of this year's Games in the high-end Italian resort of Cortina d'Ampezzo.

The snow which had hammered down all day in the Dolomites had turned to sleet by the time the four matches started in front of a healthy crowd inside the 3,500-capacity arena.

But many of those spectators were cast into darkness for four or five minutes early on until someone put some change in the meter, the scoring screens flickered back into life and play resumed.

"I didn't mind the lights going off," said Mouat. "It was a bit of a boogie, a rave... it was like a nightclub."

When the dancing stopped, Norway's husband and wife team of Magnus Nedregotten and Kristin Skaslien initially took control before the sides fell into a cagey contest.

Mouat and Dodds seized the initiative in a splendid second end - the final accounting reached after some lengthy deliberation with the measuring stick - and led 4-3 at the break after edging a tight fourth against the 2002 silver medallists.

The interval did check the momentum of the childhood friends a little, as Norway - who also won bronze in 2018 - drew level again.

Nedregotten's flawless play was keeping Norway in it - wife Skaslien's struggles threatening a little domestic disharmony - but even his efforts could not prevent Team GB snatching three in the sixth end thanks to a stunning Dodds throw.

That opened a three-shot lead with two ends to play.

And, although the Norwegians invoked the powerplay to cut the deficit to one, Mouat and Dodds did likewise in the last end to close out a statement 8-6 win.

"It took us a bit of time to work out one end was curling more than the other, but once we did we took a step up in performance and took control from there," Dodds said.

"It's a good confidence builder to start the week."