“But to a very large extent, I find it difficult to understand all of this to know what its purpose is and to some extent what it is satisfying.”
The developments come during a busy offseason for Curling Canada, which is conducting a review and search for new high performance leaders this summer. Poor results on the international stage caused the program to rebound in the next four-year cycle.
It remains unclear if the Canada Cup will return later in the quadrennial. One of the main national events on the calendar and sometimes a qualifier for Canada’s Olympic trials, it was not played in 2020 or 2021 due to the pandemic.
Kyle Jahns, director of communications and media relations for Curling Canada, says the Canada Cup will not be played next season and there is “no official determination” for the event during the campaign. 2023-2024.
“There are still many factors playing into the delivery of events that relate to Curling Canada’s business operations and are still being determined as we enter a new quadrennial,” Jahns said Thursday via email.
Most of Canada’s elite teams have recently changed their roster with a view to long-term qualification for the 2026 Milan Olympics.
Internal discussions have begun regarding the trial qualification process, Jahns said, adding that information will be readily available to teams and stakeholders in “time for the next quadrennial.”
Meanwhile, the PointsBet Invitational, with draws from 16 Canadian teams in both men’s and women’s competition, will have a March Madness-style single-elimination format. He will showcase Curling Canada’s new partnership with PointsBet Canada and will award $50,000 each to the two winning teams.
However, in an unusual omission for a high profile event on the Season of Champions schedule, broadcast plans have not been announced. Coverage plans for TSN/RDS rights holders are normally listed in announcements for major competitions like the Tim Hortons Brier or the Scotties Tournament of Hearts.
A TSN spokesperson said via email that production planning for the PointsBet Invitational is underway and details will be confirmed in the coming months.
Meanwhile, the Continental Cup, a multi-sport event that debuted in 2002, was last contested in January 2020 when Team Europe beat Team Canada in London, Ontario. Jahns said more information would be forthcoming on the status of the event, without revealing details.
Fredericton was scheduled to host the 2020 Canada Cup and 2022 Continental Cup, but both events were canceled due to the pandemic. Instead, the city will host the PointsBet Invitational at the 1,500-seat Willie O’Ree Place.
In early October, the Sportsnet-owned Grand Slam Tour of Curling will kick off with Boost National in North Bay, Ontario.
The new start-of-season schedule has also thrown a wrench in plans for mid-tier events like the “Stu Sells Series”, which traditionally attract big-name teams since bonspiels serve as a warm-up before a top-tier tour. stop.
Event sponsor Stuart Sankey said it had to move the Stu Sells Toronto Tankard back a week when the National took the Thanksgiving long weekend dates it had used for the past decade.
He also ended up postponing the Stu Sells Oakville Tankard as he expected most of the top teams to play the PointsBet Invitational that week instead.
Sankey said he found communication with the powerful in sport to be rare or non-existent.
“There has to be a body that coordinates all of this,” he said from Toronto. “It’s to the point where you have more bonspiels trying to chase down fewer teams.
“I think now it’s getting to the point where there’s too much quantity and not enough quality.”
Also on Thursday, the World Curling Federation welcomed five new inductees into the World Curling Hall of Fame for 2022. They are Canadians Ian Tetley, Jan Betker, Joan McCusker and Marcia Gudereit, as well as New Zealander Peter Becker .
This report from The Canadian Press was first published on June 23, 2022.
Follow @GregoryStrongCP on Twitter.
Gregory Strong, The Canadian Press
