Some of Canada’s best will be in Fredericton this fall to compete in a national curling championship.
Curling Canada announced on June 20 that the PointsBet Invitational will hit the ice of Willie O’Ree Place from Sept. 21 to 25.
It will bring together 32 teams across Canada for the first major event of the 2022-23 curling season where they will compete in a single-knockout tournament offering a purse of more than $350,000.
“The drama and emotion of a single-knockout bracket tournament is well-chronicled in sports … and we expect our new event to bring that kind of passion and excitement to curling,” said Katherine Henderson, Chief Executive Officer of Curling Canada, in a news release.
“It’s also a chance for us to showcase our partnership with PointsBet, and, happily, finally bring a major championship to Fredericton after a couple of disappointing years of cancellations due to the pandemic.”
Fredericton was slated to host the 2020 Home Hardware Canada Cup and 2022 Continental Cup, but both were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We’re thrilled to see the PointsBet Invitational make its debut in New Brunswick,” said Bernard Savoie, president of the New Brunswick Curling Association.
“We’re also very happy to see Fredericton finally get its opportunity to host a major curling championship after the disappointments of the past two seasons.”
The 16 teams in each gender will comprise the top 12 ranked teams on the revamped World Curling Team Ranking System. Teams will receive $5,000 to cover travel and accommodation and will earn more money for each successive win in the single-knockout tournament.
There will also be a Celebrity Invitational with numerous Canadian celebrities playing exhibition games with elite curlers.
Ticket packages are available through the Capital Winter Club or TicketMaster beginning on June 28 at 10 a.m.
