The Ford World Men’s Curling Championship officially got underway Saturday, with fans flocking to “the Patch,” a space featuring entertainment and autograph sessions, to mingle with the curlers and fellow curling enthusiasts.
“It’s been a blast! Edmonton is very welcoming,” said curling fan Sheila Bruce. “The fans are very enthusiastic about curling.”
The competition runs April 1-9 at Northlands Coliseum with featured entertainment in the Patch each day.
Fans will also have the chance to meet athletes at daily team autograph sessions and ask questions at the “Up Close & Personal Sessions.”
READ MORE: How much do you know about curling? Take our curling trivia quiz!
On Sunday, members of Team Canada met with hundreds of fans, who patiently waited up to three hours in line at the Expo Centre to meet their favourite curlers and get their autograph.
The team had just come off a win against Russia Sunday morning.
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“Very cool, this is probably one of the only sports where I’d be able to see a team play and then a couple hours later just meet with them in the Patch,” said Brad, another fan waiting in line to get Brad Gushue’s autograph.
Team Canada is looking to defend it’s gold-medal win last year in Switzerland, by Kevin Koe’s Calgary team, the group that curling champ Brad Gushue’s Newfoundland team defeated in the Tim Hortons Brier final in St. John’s last month.
The gold-medal game will be played April 9 at 6 p.m.
‘The Patch‘ area, a staple of national and world curling championship events, continues at the Expo Centre throughout the tournament.
The 2017 Ford Worlds marks the 23rd time that Canada has played host to the World Men’s Championship, and the third time the tournament has been played in Alberta.
Visit the event website, for all tournament information, including schedules, team lineups and entertainment in the Patch.
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