The World Mixed Curling Championship 2018 will head to Canada for the first time. The Kelowna Curling Club will host the fourth edition of this open entry event from Saturday, October 13th to Saturday, October 20th.
Jock Tyre, General Manager of the Kelowna Curling Club says 60 countries have been invited and he expects around 40 to compete. “Unlike other championships where you’ve got 12 teams, this one is wide open.”
Tyre says the ‘mixed’ aspect is what gives the event a different and exciting atmosphere. “If you’ve got a stag or stagette, different things get said or done. When all of a sudden you mix men with women everything is a little bit different, and sometimes more fun…it lightens up, and it’s still a world championship so everybody wants to win.”
World Curling Federation President Kate Caithness said. “We are delighted to take our World Mixed event across the Atlantic for the first time. This event is proving to be a first-class development tool for our established and emerging Member Associations. I look forward to following the progress of this event and thank Jock Tyre and Tourism Kelowna for their hard work to make this event possible.”
President and CEO of Tourism Kelowna, Lisanne Ballantyne, said: “Tourism Kelowna is proud to support the winning bid for the World Mixed Curling Championship. With over 35 countries competing and many of them coming to Canada for the first time, this major event increases our destination awareness and appeal to an international audience.”
Previously the 2002 World Junior and the 1986 World Women’s Curling Championships have been held in Kelowna.