The atmosphere at an intense curling match, with a medal on the line, was electric. The stadium announcer, an Italian film actor named Daniele Coscarella, grabbed the microphone and engaged the crowd. “Fans, you like this match, yes or no?” he asked. “You ready to sing all together?”
Soon, the stadium was belting out “Eye of the Tiger,” Survivor’s 1982 hit, as the crowd embraced the excitement of the mixed doubles final. It was just another unforgettable night in the 70-year history of the Olympic Stadium in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, a co-host of the Winter Games with Milan.
In many Olympic host cities, news about new infrastructure is often concerning. Milan’s new hockey rink was still under construction just weeks before the games. In Cortina, locals had grumbled about nearly everything, from the new bobsled track and cable car for Dolomites skiing events to the endless netting and roadblocks throughout town.
Image: People walking outside the Olympic Stadium.
The Olympic Stadium in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, also held events during the 1956 Winter Olympics.
Image: Cory Thiesse and Korey Dropkin of the United States during the mixed doubles curling gold medal match at the Olympic Stadium, capacity 3,500.
Image: The second tier of the stadium, with fans leaning over the front row and draping flags of Sweden and Italy.
Fans stomp on the stands’ metal grates, creating a deafening noise often heard at more traditional sporting events.
However, the curling stadium seems to have largely escaped this criticism. Much like the sport itself, it possesses a unique charm that makes it genuinely beloved.
“If you ask me, it has a soul,” Daniele Coscarella, the announcer, reflected in an interview after the big match. “On evenings like this, when a sport like curling fills every seat, it means our goal has been achieved. It’s a success for Cortina.”
While technically an arena—an enclosed venue designed for various uses—everyone in town affectionately calls it the “stadio,” (stadium) reflecting its origins. It first opened in 1956 as a U-shaped, open-air ice rink, its wooden design blending seamlessly with the picturesque mountain town of Cortina. During Cortina’s Winter Olympics that year, the venue proudly hosted hockey matches.
John Mayasich, now 92, played on the U.S. men’s hockey team that won silver in those Games, and later won gold in Squaw Valley, Calif., four years later. Recalling his experiences in a phone interview from his Minnesota home, he vividly remembered competing on the ice at night under bright floodlights.
“Playing outdoors was great. I grew up playing outdoors,” he shared. “We beat Canada, and back then that was a big deal.”
He proudly emphasized scoring three goals in that memorable game.
A quarter-century later, the stadium welcomed a different kind of star: James Bond. Roger Moore, playing 007 in “For Your Eyes Only” (1981), was famously approached by a young American figure skater at the rink before assassins pursued him on a nearby biathlon course.
About a decade later, another form of drama unfolded when officials proposed covering the stadium with a roof for year-round functionality. Many locals considered this sacrilegious. Architects eventually found a compromise, preserving the wood and the sense of openness by enclosing the U-shaped structure with a glass wall.
For the 2026 Olympics, Simico, Italy’s state-owned infrastructure company, oversaw significant upgrades. These included expanding the locker rooms, installing ramps and an elevator, adding modern lighting and video screens, and implementing a sophisticated heating and cooling system to maintain optimal curling ice firmness. Mayor Gianluca Lorenzi, a former curling coach, noted that the body heat from a stadium full of 3,500 fans significantly impacts the ice.
In an interview from his wood-paneled office, a short walk from the stadium, Mr. Lorenzi highlighted the facility’s vital role in the town’s daily life, attracting people of all ages for curling, hockey, and ice skating.
“The technology is modern, but the structure is older,” he explained. “We gave it a new life.”
It isn’t entirely flawless. Some fans point out that sightlines from certain seats aren’t ideal, and Olympic visitors are currently met with a ring of security barriers that obscure views of the stadium.
Despite these minor imperfections, the stadium holds a special place in people’s hearts. Linda Christensen, a champion curler on the senior U.S. circuit, who has visited over 150 curling stadiums globally, declared it “gorgeous” while cheering for her daughter, Cory Thiesse, in mixed doubles.
“The wood,” she admired. “I think old is cool.”
While some might dismiss curling as mere shuffleboard on ice, the stadium’s atmosphere during a match is anything but quiet. Fans enthusiastically stomp on the metal grates of the stands, generating a thunderous roar often associated with more traditional high-stakes sporting events.
“Finish it!” one fan yelled at the American duo during last week’s mixed doubles final. (They didn’t, ultimately losing to Sweden).
Tensions escalated in subsequent matches, with Canadian and British teams facing accusations of foul play for touching the curling stone post-release. On one occasion, after Oskar Eriksson of Sweden accused Marc Kennedy of Canada of cheating, the Canadian responded with a furious outburst.
Though the mixed doubles final remained free of such intense disputes, the excitement was palpable. Fans sported their national flags painted on their cheeks and wore them as capes. A DJ kept the energy high with classics like “Y.M.C.A.” and “I Will Survive.” A group of Estonians, dressed as Super Mario characters, filled part of a row.
Among the crowd was 13-year-old Marco Gregori, a Cortina native who, like most local kids, has frequented the stadium. He curls there with his school, witnessed a World Cup curling match, and even snagged a photo with Stefania Constantini, Cortina’s curling star who won bronze in mixed doubles this year.
On this particular evening, Marco’s mission was to spot Snoop Dogg, the rapper and NBC commentator known for attending earlier curling events. Alas, Snoop was not present.
“I like curling,” Marco confessed, “But hockey is better.”
Daniele Coscarella, the actor and announcer, is a passionate curling fan who makes an annual pilgrimage to the ice palace from his Rome home. Now, he notes, people worldwide are discovering its unique appeal.
“The stadium,” he affirmed, “is the anchor of these Olympics.”
Jason Horowitz contributed additional reporting from Cortina, and Josephine de La Bruyère provided research.