GANGNEUNG: South Korea’s Jang Hye-Ji launched 18 days of competition at the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics on Thursday by sliding the first mixed doubles curling stone in Olympic history down the ice.
While the official opening ceremonies are not until Friday night, the first mixed doubles curling event in the Olympic Games began a day early to open 18 days of competition that will conclude with the February 25 closing cermonies.
Jang took the opportunity to make Olympic history in her opening round-robin match match alongside Lee Ki-Jeong against Finland’s Oona Kauste and Tomi Rantamaeki before about 2,500 spectators at Gangneung Curling Center.
Other opening round-robin matches sent Canada against Norway, China against reigning world champion Switzerland and the Olympic Athletes from Russia against the United States.
The Russians — the 2016 world champion husband-and-wife team of Aleksandr Krushelnitckii and Anastasia Bryzgalova — are competing under the Olympic flag after Russia was banned from the Games for major doping violations at the 2014 Sochi Games.
The OAR duo launched their medal quest against US siblings Matt and Becca Hamilton, inspiring a solitary “Russ-i-a” yell from the crowd after scoring two points in the second end.
After seven round-robin matches through Sunday, the top four teams will reach Monday’s semifinals with medal matches set for Tuesday.
Pyeongchang Winter Olympics competition begins with curling
Pyeongchang Winter Olympics competition begins with curling
World No. 1 duo Coello, Tapia headline historic padel exhibition in Abu Dhabi
- Stars play against each other in UAE’s capital
ABU DHABI: The world’s top-ranked padel players delivered a memorable showcase in the UAE’s capital on Wednesday as “The Ultimate Padel Match” lit up Space42 Arena at Al-Raha Beach.
Arturo Coello — the youngest player in history to reach the FIP (International Padel Federation) world No. 1 ranking — and Agustin Tapia, the joint world No. 1 renowned for his creative and attacking style, headlined a rare one-night exhibition that split the sport’s most dominant partnership.
Played outside the official professional tour calendar, the event saw Coello join forces with Spain’s Jorge “Coki” Nieto, the current FIP world No. 7 and winner of the 2024 Premier Padel Finals, while Tapia paired with Argentine World Champion Federico Chingotto, the FIP world No. 3 recognized for his exceptional defensive court coverage.
In front of an enthusiastic crowd, Tapia and Chingotto claimed a 7–6, 2–6, 6–3 victory in a high-quality contest that marked a first-of-its-kind showcase for fans in Abu Dhabi.
For Coello, the return to the capital of the UAE was as meaningful off the court as it was on it.
He said: “It’s our second time here, and it’s a real pleasure to play here and be in this city. Padel is growing a lot in Abu Dhabi, and today you could really feel how much people enjoyed the match. It’s an amazing event, and I hope people continue to enjoy and discover this sport.”
The Spaniard also underlined the importance of exhibition matches in accelerating the sport’s development in emerging markets.
“Padel is still quite new here, but when people can see the level we play at, it helps them connect with the game,” he said. “It’s a great moment for fans to start practicing and enjoying padel.”
Tapia echoed those sentiments, pointing to the role of such events in strengthening the local padel community.
He said: “I’m really happy to be back in Abu Dhabi. Padel is growing a lot in the city and across the country, and exhibition matches like this help bring the community together and contribute to that growth.”
Looking ahead, the Argentine player expressed hope of returning to compete again in the capital.
He said he “would love to come back,” before adding that “hopefully Abu Dhabi can host more tournaments in the future, so we can keep playing here.”
Beyond the court, both players embraced the cultural side of their visit. Coello described trips to the Zayed National Museum and Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque as highlights of his stay, calling them “an incredible experience.”
The unique format — pitting the world’s leading duo against each other rather than alongside one another — resonated strongly with spectators.
Danny Al-Abadi, 18, who traveled from Dubai to attend the event, said: “You don’t get many chances to see this level of padel up close. Seeing the best in the world compete against each other instead of together made it even more special, and matches like this really help people understand the sport better.”
“The Ultimate Padel Match” further reinforced Abu Dhabi’s growing status as a destination for world-class sporting events, while offering fans a rare opportunity to witness elite padel outside the structure of the professional tour.
