Fei Xueqing (2nd R), Li Zhichao (3rd L) and Xu Jingtao (1st R) of China compete during the curling men round robin session 1 match between China and Britain at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Cortina, Italy, Feb. 11, 2026. (Xinhua/Lian Yi)
CORTINA D'AMPEZZO, Italy, Feb. 11 (Xinhua) -- Britain, Italy, Canada and the United States secured victories in their respective opening games in the men's curling round-robin competition at the Milan-Cortina Olympic Winter Games here on Wednesday.
Skipped by veteran Bruce Mouat, Britain, the Beijing 2022 Olympic runner-up, dominated its opener with a 9-4 win over China.
"We were prepared for this kind of result against such a strong team like Britain," said China's skipper Xu Xiaoming, who is making his third Olympic appearance. "The gap between us was acceptable. We will focus on our next game."
Other matches witnessed narrow gaps, with Italy edging defending champion Sweden 7-6, Canada defeating Germany 7-6 and the United States holding off the Czech Republic 8-7.
The women's round-robin competition begins on Thursday. ■
Li Zhichao (L) of China competes during the curling men round robin session 1 match between China and Britain at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Cortina, Italy, Feb. 11, 2026. (Xinhua/Lian Yi)
Li Zhichao (C) of China competes during the curling men round robin session 1 match between China and Britain at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Cortina, Italy, Feb. 11, 2026. (Xinhua/Lian Yi)
Fei Xueqing (C) of China competes during the curling men round robin session 1 match between China and Britain at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Cortina, Italy, Feb. 11, 2026. (Xinhua/Lian Yi)
Xu Jingtao (R) of China competes during the curling men round robin session 1 match between China and Britain at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Cortina, Italy, Feb. 11, 2026. (Xinhua/Lian Yi)
