Send for Pickles Jnr! Mystery over shocking theft of Paralympic curling stones

In 1966, just weeks before the football World Cup in England, something dreadful happened: the Jules Rimet trophy was stolen from a display at a stamp exhibition. An arrest was quickly made but the trophy remained missing until, famously, it was discovered by a dog called Pickles.

Now the Winter Paralympics in Italy has been hit by a similar scandal with the theft of two curling stones – out of just 128 made especially for the competition – from the Cortina Olympic Curling Stadium. Thankfully, spare stones were able to be brought up to the same specifications as the rest to enable the competition to continue without disruption.

Pickles the dog shows photographers where he discovered the stolen World Cup in south London in March 1966 (Picture: Central Press) | Getty Images

Made from Ailsa Craig granite, they are normally worth about £750 each but whether there is a significant black market for such ‘hot rocks’ is unclear. Were they stolen to order by an international ring of criminal curlers? Has some mafia boss become a massive fan of the roaring game?

According to a World Curling spokesperson, “the local authorities are currently investigating” and, while we have ever confidence in them, we hope Chief Inspector Pickles Jnr will soon be on the case too.