Canadians Homan, Morris have tough path ahead in Olympic mixed doubles tourney

Team Canada's start in the Olympic mixed doubles curling event could go a long way in determining where they finish.

The Canadian duo of Rachel Homan and John Morris face challenging tests in their first three games – Great Britain, Norway and Switzerland await Canada to begin the event.

The Great Britain duo, Jennifer Dodds and Bruce Mouat, are the defending world champions and one of favourites to win gold in Beijing.

The Norwegian pair of Kristin Skaslien and Magnus Nedregotten won bronze four years ago in Pyeongchang. They had originally lost the third-place game to the Russian Olympic Committee, but Alexander Krushelnitskiy tested positive for a banned substance, giving Norway the bronze.

And the Swiss team of Jenny Perret and Martin Rios is no stranger to Morris – Perret and Rios played Kailtyn Lawes and Morris in the gold medal game four years ago. They are always a threat at any mixed doubles international competition.

It won't be easy. And Homan and Morris know it.

The mixed doubles competition at the Olympics is in its second iteration after it debuted in Pyeongchang. Lawes and Morris made history by capturing gold – and for the both of them it was their second Olympic gold medal.

Morris, 43, won gold with Kevin Martin skipping in Vancouver in 2010. Lawes was playing third for Jennifer Jones in 2014 in Sochi when they captured gold.

Four years ago in South Korea there were eight teams competing. This time they've increased the field to ten teams. Those teams include Canada, Australia, China, Czech Republic, Great Britain, Italy, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and the United States.

The teams will play a round robin with the top-four advancing to the semifinals. The winners of each semifinal will advance to the gold-medal game.

The championship is slated for Tuesday, Feb. 8 at 7 a.m. ET.

Homan, 32, and Morris have spent the last couple weeks before flying to Beijing training in the Alberta town of Canmore. Aside from throwing rocks, they've spent most of their time outdoors, skiing, snowshoeing and ice-fishing.

They posted a number of photos and videos on social media in their Canadian apparel, fresh snow on the ground with the picturesque mountains in the background. Homan and Morris even hosted a live cooking show on their Instagram – a chance to engage Canadian fans as they prepared for the Games.

It's also been a chance for the two to reconnect. They've known each other for decades.