EDMONTON — The City of Edmonton will once again welcome the world, as the Ford World Men’s Curling Championship returns to Rexall Place April 1 to 9, 2017.
The championship will serve as the final opportunity for countries to qualify for the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea.
Returning to Edmonton was a no-brainer for the World Curling Federation, as it considers the city one of the hot beds for curling.
“They’ve always done an amazing job of any of our events that we’ve hosted here in Edmonton and the facility is a perfect size,” the federation’s Laura Lochanski said.
The event will be held at Rexall Place, which is the first signature event confirmed in the post-Oilers era of the arena. Tim Reid, president and C.E.O. of Northlands, said Rexall Place was a perfect fit given its history and nearby facilities.
“We have 600,000 square-feet of Edmonton EXPO Centre right across the parking lot that is a unique attribute for this event, specifically, that gives great upside potential.”
The event was previously held in Edmonton in 2007, when a record 184,970 fans packed Rexall Place over nine days to see Glenn Howard skip Canada to its 30th world title.
Edmonton also has attendance records for the 2005 Tim Hortons Brier (281,985) and 2009 Tim Hortons Roar of the Rings Canadian Olympic Curling Trials (175,852).
Canada has won a record 34 world titles, the last in 2012 (Glenn Howard).
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