Ottawa to host men’s world curling championship in 2023

After plans for Ottawa to host the World Men’s Curling Championship were dashed by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021, the World Curling Federation announced Friday that the tournament will return to the nation’s capital in 2023.

The tournament will take place April 1-9 at TD Place in Lansdowne Park, and tickets are expected to go on sale in September.

The Tim Hortons Brier, London, Ont. in March will determine the team representing Canada.

Elaine Brimicombe (vice-chair, Ottawa Host Committee) said in a news release Friday that an “amazing group of volunteers” in the Ottawa Valley are excited to get to work after the 2021 event was relocated to a bubble in Calgary.

“It was such a disappointment when we couldn’t host in 2021, but we went right back to work to prepare for today’s announcement,” Brimicombe was quoted as saying.

Katherine Henderson, CEO, Curling Canada saidOttawa had “made clear to us that although they understood the need to make the 2021 championship decision, they wanted the World Men’s Championship in Ottawa as soon as possible.”

Ottawa has hosted the Brier at TD Place four times in the past: 2016, 2001, 1993 and 1979. In 2017, the city hosted the Roar of the rings, Canada’s Olympic curling trials.

The men’s world championship was most recently held in Ontario in 1996, when Canada’s Jeff Stoughton won gold in Hamilton. In 1986, Canada’s Ed Lukowich won in Toronto, and in 1981, Switzerland’s Jürg Tanner won in London.

Canada will host the championship for the 26th time. Canadian men’s teams have won 35 world championships since the event’s inception in 1959 — the most recent in 2017, with Brad Gushue’s rink winning gold in Edmonton.