The theft of two curling stones due to be used at the Milano Cortina Winter Paralympics is being investigated, World Curling has confirmed.
Action in Italy got under way on Wednesday night with the round robin of the inaugural mixed doubles wheelchair competition, but the drama started earlier when it was discovered the rocks, believed to be worth about £750, were missing from Cortina’s curling stadium.
“Unfortunately there has been a situation where two stones were stolen from the venue,” a World Curling spokesperson told the Press Association. “The local authorities are currently investigating.”
The stones were also used in the Olympic mixed doubles tournament. Spare stones from the set have been brought up to the same specifications as the rest of the rocks in play and will be used in place of the stolen granite.
ParalympicsGB were made aware of the situation but it has not affected the British duo of Jo Butterfield and Jason Kean, who opened their competition with a 10-7 defeat to Estonia.
A regulation stone can have a maximum circumference of 36in (914 mm) and weighs about 42 pounds. The granite used comes from Ailsa Craig, an island off the Ayrshire coast of Scotland, according to manufacturer Kays Scotland. Only 128 stones were made for the Milano Cortina Olympic and Paralympic Games, according to Kays’ website.
The first day of official competition at the Winter Paralympics is on Saturday, with the opening ceremony taking place in Verona on Friday evening.
