GANGNEUNG, South Korea — Greetings from the Gangneung Curling Centre, which will be the site of some history tonight: the first gold medal match in the history of Olympic mixed doubles curling. Kaitlyn Lawes and John Morris of Canada are set to face Jenny Perret and Martin Rios of Switzerland.
When the International Olympic Committee voted to add mixed doubles to its slate of events for the 2018 Winter Olympics, it stirred a bit of controversy in the curling world. Many curling purists considered — and still consider — mixed doubles to be something of a sideshow that lacks the strategy and nuance of the more traditional game, which pits four-player teams.