22 January 2026
Milano Cortina 2026: Team Estonia
With just a couple of weeks until the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games begin, we take a look at all the National Olympic Committees (NOCs) set to compete. Next is Team Estonia.
Team Estonia will be represented by one curling team: Team Lill/Kaldvee (mixed doubles).
Team Estonia: The smallest nation to reach the Games
From humble facilities and beginnings to global success and rising national recognition, Harri Lill and Marie Kaldvee will lead Estonia to its first appearance in curling at the Olympic Winter Games.
With just 1.3 million people, Estonia becomes the smallest nation to qualify for the Olympic Games in curling, thanks to the hard work of their mixed doubles stars Marie Kaldvee and Harri Lill.
They secured the country’s first world medal at the 2024 World Mixed Doubles Curling Championship when they claimed silver, losing the final to hosts Sweden. An extra-end victory over Czechia at the end of the round robin at the 2025 edition, where they finished fourth, ensured they qualified for Milano Cortina 2026, eventually finishing as the highest-ranked team over the two years.
From humble beginnings
But this is not an underdog story – at least it has not been for a while. They have competed at the World Championship on eight occasions, making the play-offs six times, including in the past three years. A post-COVID slump in 2021 and 2022 is the only smudge on their record, having frequently established themselves as challengers since debuting at the young ages of 21 and 24.
In their formative years, the pair were training at Jeti Jaahall in the capital city Tallinn. The facility was, until its demolition in 2024, one of the remaining relics of the Soviet Union in a city known for its fairytale-like architecture. It had been converted from a missile factory to a sports complex at the turn of the Millennium, before the sport’s home became Tondiraba Ice Hall in 2014.
And the introduction of mixed doubles in 2008 created an opportunity for them.
“I think we always saw it as the best chance,” said Lill, sitting at a desk with the ‘Milano Cortina 2026’ emblem behind him.
“Even in mixed doubles, it’s not easy coming from an old Soviet missile factory where you curl or really without any know-how or just Estonia being a very new curling nation.”
“The conditions that we started in, nobody would now go to the ice rink like that to practise or take their kids to practise there,” added Kaldvee, laughing at the stark contrast between their old and new home.
“That was quite a different experience.”
They came close to their Olympic quest before making it this time — in style.
“I think we were close to the top for many years,” added Kalvee.
“In 2023 we felt that we should have been on the podium [at the World Championship] at least and years before we felt like we were in a good shape to do well, just somehow we’re always stuck at the Worlds at the qualification stage or just falling out of the play-offs.
“And 2024 when we got the silver medal, we really showed how well we can play.
“Maybe we didn’t play at the best of our abilities, but we played well enough in the moments that it really mattered the most. That was the moment that we realised what we are capable of.”
Meet the team
Team Lill/Kaldvee
Harri Lill
Age: 34
Olympic Appearances: Debut
Fun fact: Harri and Marie received flowers and a curling stone made out of balloons at the airport when they qualified for the Olympic Games.
Marie Kaldvee
Age: 31
Olympic Appearances: Debut
Fun fact: She has a six-year-old Samoyed dog called Luka.
QUALIFICATION
Team Lill/Kaldvee qualified for the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games through their points earned at the 2024 and 2025 editions of the World Mixed Doubles Curling Championship.
They sit second the Olympic rankings with a total of 41 points behind Italy (hosts).
TEAM STATS
World Mixed Doubles Championship medallists (Silver: 2024)
Growing support at home
When they confirmed their Olympic spot, their family and friends greeted them at the airport on their return home which Kaldvee called a “stepping stone” for bringing the sport to the Estonian public, adding it “pushed us more to play even better and get some motivation”.
“Estonians tend to be fans of any sport we do currently well at,” said Lill.
“So us getting good results at the world stage has helped us with funding, which helped us to invest more into building our team.
“Overall exposure and attention on curling has made our lives easier, that we have more opportunities to focus more on curling and improve over time.”
“I guess that’s why we are maybe somehow the leaders in the Olympics as well, because we just have that good facility that allows us to do that,” added Kaldvee.
“Also we have the good results, which brings the people into the rink and overall helps to grow curling.”
The hype around their potential Olympic qualification caught the interest of national broadcasters, who showed the 2025 World Championship – and their results led to increased Government funding.
“People actually probably knew a lot more about us finishing fourth and qualifying to the Olympics than they knew about our silver medal the year before,” laughed Lill.
“After the week we played the Worlds, it felt like everybody suddenly knows what curling is in Estonia.”
A country UNITED by community and tradition
Estonia is a nation with strong traditions and community. Even away from sport, the nation comes to a halt for Laulupidu — the National Song Festival — typically held every five years.
“I think every country with a long history of having some kind of tradition, that’s really in people’s heart is something that we try to keep on,” said Kaldvee.
“It’s not about modern songs and modern dances, it’s more about traditions and all types of fancy dresses.
“Every time it’s happening, it’s one of the most popular things that’s happening in Estonia for some reason.
“If we really do good in something, then people are cheering for it, and that’s something that’s also with the Song Festival and it’s with other sports as well. Every time that Estonian basketball is doing good, then all the Estonian nation is somehow a basketball nation, and when skiing is doing good, then we’re a skiing nation.”
“I just want to take in the moment [when first stepping on the ice] and appreciate it and try to do our best from that moment.”
Marie Kaldvee, Team Estonia
Pressure of Milano Cortina 2026 is a privilege
Now they get to enjoy the fruits of their labour, with high expectations, but also an opportunity to enjoy the occasion.
“I think anyone can beat anyone at the Olympics. The level is so high in the mixed doubles field, I don’t think there’s a team that on a good day can’t beat any other team,” said Kaldvee.
“It’s not going to be a walk in a park, and we have to take every game and every end as a separate mini game and just try to hang in there.
“It might be that there’s little pressure with it as well, but I think every athlete is feeling pressure and the pressure is privilege.”
“I think there’s no pressure in regards to seeing yourselves as part of the history, but there’s more of a pressure in terms of, can we play as well as we’re capable to play?” added Lill.
“Italy and Great Britain both played well at the Worlds and Italy has been unbeaten for a while, but at the same time, we were probably 1.5 centimetres away from being the only team to beat them during the Worlds.”
But for Kaldvee, it is also an opportunity to embrace that first moment on the ice at the Olympic Games.
“That has been the goal since we both started,” said Kaldvee, “Every kid in whatever sports they start to do, they’re going to have the Olympics in their mind.
“I just want to take in the moment [when first stepping on the ice] and appreciate it and try to do our best from that moment.”
Even from the old missiles factory, the dream was always there. Now, Kaldvee and Lill will show the importance of investing in that belief.
Team Estonia stats
Team Estonia’s first Olympic appearance in curling will be at Milano Cortina 2026!
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