Winter Olympics 2022 - Bagpipes inspire Team GB curling team to a winning start in Beijing

British curling pair Jennifer Dodds and Bruce Mouat were on-song as they kicked off Team GB’s Winter Olympics campaign in fine style with a 9-5 win over Sweden in their opening round robin match in the mixed doubles. In a tense match in Beijing, Dodds and Mouat capitalised on errors from the World Championship bronze medallists to take a confidence-boosting victory. Ad/> The Scottish childhood friends were given a timely reminder of home with a Chinese bagpipe band helping to inspire the pair.

/> Beijing 2022Olympics Unlocked: Norway's mixed doubles team explain why Curling is so excitingAN HOUR AGO Dodds and Mouat get GB off to winning start in curling Olympics Unlocked: How Curling works ahead of Beijing 2022 Beijing 2022 Olympic Games: Schedule, big names, key events and more “We saw them outside the venue a couple of days ago so we knew they were here and were excited. They did not disappoint”, said Mouat after the win. After facing such a tough opponent in the opening fixture, Mouat admits the victory is a huge shot in the arm, saying, “We know Sweden will be at the top of the table at the end of the week so we are really chuffed with how we played”.

/> Dodds – who will also be part of the women’s team event in the second week – thinks her close relationship with Mouat can help steer them to glory at the Winter Games. “We’ve known each other since we were 10. The fact that we’re friends from way back and the dynamic that we have has helped us.