Only one mixed doubles curling team will continue for a shot at the inaugural Olympic gold medal when Canada meets Norway in the first semifinal.
Curling was one of the original events on the Winter Olympics program at Chamonix in 1924. It reappeared as a demonstration sport several times, but it would be more than seven decades until medals were once again awarded for curling. Since its reintroduction to the Winter Olympics program in 1998, curling has exploded in popularity.
That has allowed variations on the classic four-man team to gain recognition over the past few decades. This year, the first Olympic curling event offering up medals this year is also the newest on the program. Mixed doubles curling is making its introduction as a medal sport at the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics.
As a new discipline, mixed doubles has added a new and fun element to one of the most deceptively entertaining sports in the Winter Olympics. Eight teams arrived at the Gangneung Curling Centre in order to contest the round-robin tournament. After seven rounds of preliminary competition and tiebreakers, the field has been whittled down to the final four teams.
Now it’s time for the rink in Gangneung heat up with mixed doubles semifinal action.
Canada and Norway made it through the field to take to the sheet in Gangneung for the first semifinal pairing. The winner advances to play either Russia or Switzerland in the gold medal match. The losers of both semifinals will be relegated to a bronze-medal contest.
With the stakes high, both curling pairs in this first semifinal will look to gain the upper hand in Gangneung. Fans should be treated to some top-shelf curling action as both mixed doubles teams vie for a chance to become immortalized as the first-ever Olympic gold medalists in the event.
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Here’s how you can watch the first semifinal of the Olympic mixed doubles curling tournament online.
Date: Sunday, Feb. 11
Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
Location: Gangneung, South Korea
Venue: Gangneung Curling Centre
Live Stream: NBC Olympics, FuboTV
Keep it tuned in here are we bring you the latest live streams and updated results for each curling event over the course of the 2018 Winter Olympics.