Kelowna to host major curling event

Oct 27, 2023 | 12:35 PM

Kelowna will be hosting one of the premier curling events in Canada in 2025.

Curling Canada announced Friday that the Canadian men’s curling championship — known as the Montana’s Brier — will be held at Prospera Place Feb. 28 to March 9, 2025.

It will be the first time for Kelowna to host the event since 1968, the year when Ron Northcott of Alberta won the national championship.

The city was named as Brier host in 2021, but it was moved to the bubble in Calgary due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We couldn’t be happier to see Kelowna get this opportunity to bring the Montana’s Brier back to the Okanagan after nearly 60 years,” Danny Lamoureux, interim chief executive officer of Curling Canada, said. “It was such a disappointment that the event couldn’t happen in 2021, but we know Kelowna will make up for lost time with a spectacular event in 2025.”

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Lisanne Ballantyne, president & CEO of Tourism Kelowna, said the Montana’s Brier will generate significant, new spending during Kelowna’s slower fall tourism season.

“This hugely popular event will deliver an estimated 9,000 total room night bookings and an estimated economic impact of $8 million to $15 million for local businesses. We are thrilled to have Kelowna highlighted nationally through TSN broadcasting, continuing to build the Central Okanagan brand as a hub for major winter sport tournaments,” Ballantyne said

The city is getting set to host the 2023 Pan Continental Curling Championships, which get underway on Sunday at the Kelowna Curling Club.

“Kelowna has a strong curling community with a long history of producing elite talent and hosting major curling events,” Mayor Tom Dyas said. “With one of the largest curling clubs in Canada, Kelowna is equipped with a strong team of volunteers to make the event memorable, while our entire community looks forward to showing our hospitality to fans, players and officials.”

The Kelowna edition of the Brier will be the second year of title sponsorship from Montana’s BBQ & Bar.

It will be the eighth time the event has been played in British Columbia, with the most recent edition in 2014 in Kamloops.

“We extend a warm welcome to all participants, spectators, and visitors to the traditional territory of the Okanagan syilx people,” Westbank First Nation Chief Robert Louie, said. “The 2025 Montana’s Brier not only showcases the pinnacle of men’s curling but also provides an opportunity to appreciate the rich cultural heritage and natural beauty of our lands in the Okanagan Valley.”

The wining team in Kelowna will represent Canada at the 2025 BKT Tires World Men’s Championship, to be played in a Canadian city (location, dates TBA).

The Brier has been played in 31 cities across Canada, from Victoria to St. John’s, N.L. Alberta leads in Brier victories with 28, followed by Manitoba with 27. New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, the Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut have yet to win.

The first entry into the 2025 Montana’s Brier will be decided on March 10, 2024, in Regina, as the 2024 Montana’s Brier winner is decided that day, and will play as Team Canada in Kelowna.

Other major curling events over the years in Kelowna include the 1986 World Women’s Championship (won by Canada’s Marilyn Bodogh), the 1989 Scotties Tournament of Hearts (won by Team Canada’s Heather Houston), the 1999 Canadian Junior Championships (won by Ontario’s John Morris and Quebec’s Marie-France Larouche), the 2002 World Junior Championships (won by Canada’s David Hamblin and Cassie Johnson of the United States), and, most recently, the World Mixed Curling Championship in 2018, won by Canada’s Mike Anderson.

by Pete McIntyre

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