Olympics & Paralympics

Milano Cortina 2026: China Beats Japan for Upset Victory in Wheelchair Curling Mixed Doubles Opener at Milano Cortina Paralympic Games

#Milano Cortina 2026

Aki Ogawa, left, and Yoji Nakajima, center, take part in a wheelchair curling match against China in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, on Wednesday.
Keita Iijima / The Yomiuri Shimbun

By Kazunori Hirachi / Yomiuri Shimbun Correspondent

17:37 JST, March 5, 2026

CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy — Japan lost to China 3-10 in the first match of the wheelchair curling mixed doubles round-robin competition at the Milano Cortina Paralympic Winter Games in the Italian city of Cortina d’Ampezzo on Wednesday.

The match took place in advance of the Games’ opening ceremony, scheduled to be held Friday.

The Japanese pair of Aki Ogawa and Yoji Nakajima, the winners of last year’s World Wheelchair Mixed Doubles Curling Championship, allowed the Chinese pair an upset victory in their first match. Of the eight mixed doubles teams competing in the round-robin session, the top four teams will advance to the semifinals.

This is the first time in 16 years that Japan has competed in wheelchair curling at the Paralympics, since the Vancouver Games in 2010.

“I honestly thought it was great that I got to play on the big stage,” Nakajima said, trying to sound cheerful. “I’d like to go on look at things positively.”