Question marks remain in the Canadian curling scene ahead of the new season and every four years

This week, a new big money invitation event will be held. I did. Kick-off to the 2022-23 curling season. This announcement also helped spotlight some of the uncertainties in the Canadian curling scene.

The new PointsBet Invitational TV show hasn't been announced yet, the long-running Canada Cup has been quietly removed from the calendar, and there are no firm plans for Continental Airlines' revival. .. cup.

PointsBet Invitational, held in Fredericton September 21-25, is currently the only Season of Champions event scheduled for the first half of the season.

"Whenever there is a company moving forward to sponsor a major curling event, you should be happy with it," said Warren Hansen, a former player who spent several years in Curling Canada. Said. Event Operations Director.

"But to a very large extent, it's hard to worry about what the purpose is and what is somewhat satisfying."

Development will take place during the busy off-season of Curling Canada, which is reviewing and searching for new high-performance leadership this summer. Intermediate results on the international arena are putting pressure on the program to rebound in the next four-year cycle.

It's unclear if the Canada Cup will be back in four years. It is one of the major national events on the calendar and is also a qualifying for the Canadian Olympic Trial, but due to a pandemic it was not held in 2020 or 2021.

Curling Canada Communications and Media Relations Manager Kyle Jarns said the Canada Cup will not be held next season and the 2023-24 campaign event "has no official determination." rice field.

"There are many factors related to the operation of Curling Canada's business in delivering the event, and it has been decided to hold it once every four years," Jahns emailed Thursday. I mentioned in.

Most of Canada's elite teams have recently changed their roster with a long-term view of the qualifying for the 2026 Milan Olympics.

Internal discussions on the trial certification process have begun, Jahns said, adding information to the team and stakeholders for immediate access to the "coming four-year deadline." Said it would be.

Meanwhile, PointsBet Invitational draws 16 Canadian teams in both men's and women's competitions, making it a march madness-style single elimination format. Introducing a new partnership between Curling Canada and PointsBet Canada, offering $ 50,000 each to the two winning teams.

However, due to a rare omission of a hot event in the Season of Champions Calendar, no broadcast plans were announced. Rightsholder TSN / RDS coverage plans are typically documented in showcase contest announcements such as Tim Hortons Briar and Scotties Tournament of Hearts.

A TSN spokesman said in an email that a production plan for PointsBet Invitational is underway and details will be confirmed within the next few months.

Meanwhile, the Continental Cup, a multidisciplinary event that debuted in 2002, was last held in January 2020, when Team Europe defeated Team Canada in London, Ontario. Jarns said more information would be released about the status of the event without revealing details.

Fredericton was scheduled to host the 2020 Canada Cup and the 2022 Continental Cup, but both events were canceled due to a pandemic. Instead, the city will host PointsBet Invitational at Willy Olly Place, which has 1,500 seats.

In early October, Sportsnet's Grand Slam of Curling Circuit will open at Boost National in North Bay, Ontario.

The new look early season schedule has also thrown a wrench on planning middle-class events like the "Stu Sells Series". Bonspiel acts as a warm-up before the stop of a high-profile tour.

Event sponsor Stuart Sankey said the Stuarts Toronto Tancard would need to be returned for a week when National had scheduled a long Thanksgiving weekend for the past decade. rice field.

He also decided to postpone the StuSells Oakville Tan Card because most of the top teams expected to play PointsBet Invitational that week.

Sankey said he discovered that communication with the sports power broker was lacking or nonexistent.

"We need an organization that coordinates everything," he said from Toronto. "There will be more bon spills trying to chase fewer teams.

" I think we're at a point where the quantity is too high and the quality is inadequate. "

Also on Thursday, the World Curling Federation welcomed five new members who were inducted into the World Curling Hall of Fame in 2022. They include Canadian Iantetry, Jan Betker, Joan McCasker, Marcia Gderite, and Peter Becker of New Zealand.

This report by Canadian Press was first published on June 23, 2022.