2026 Winter Olympics: Bruce Mowatt and Jane Dodds suffer their first defeat to Switzerland

“The energy will be electric, so we’re looking forward to that and hopefully we can cause some drama in the stands,” Mowat told BBC Sport.

To do so, they will have to rediscover their best form against the hosts, whose every successful shot triggers a cascade of noises on the wooden stands of this exotic arena.

The Italians beat the Czech Republic at the same time as Switzerland defeated the British team.

Married couple Yannick Schwaller and Briar Schwaller Hoerlimann started strong, stealing shots on both the second and third ends to take a 4-0 lead.

Mowat and Dodds redeemed themselves slightly with two goals before going into the break 4-2, then grabbed two goals to equalise.

The Swiss took the lead once again, and although GB took a two-goal lead for the first time heading into the final over, they were unable to prevent their rivals from grabbing two crucial goals to seal the victory.

“We put ourselves up against the wall a little bit,” Dodds told BBC Sport. “I made a few passes which put us in a lot of trouble but we were still in a very good position.”