After much success hosting the 2018 Continental Cup, Curling Canada announced Thursday that London had won the bid to serve again as host next year.
It will be the 16th edition of the Continental Cup, a four-day event that features the best players in the world competing alongside many of their rivals. Each side will have six teams competing — three of each gender.
London is no stranger to hosting big, staged curling tournaments. Before the 2018 Continental Cup, London hosted the 2011 Tim Hortons Brier, and in 2006, the Scotties Tournament of Hearts.
Peter Inch, the organization’s chair of hosting and a London Native, told Global News Radio 980 CFPL he can see London being the destination for championship curling events down the road.
“When we come to the table with a bid, everyone else has to step their game up because everyone knows London is going to be there with a really good bid,” Inch said. “So I think we can be that destination, now we just need to to determine how we are going to do it.”
The 2018 edition of the tournament drew large crowds all weekend. In the end, Team North America’s Brad Gushe pulled off a close win, defeating Team World’s Thomas Ulsrad after the two sides finished four days of intense competition in a 30-30 deadlock.
More recently — the 2019 Continental Cup in Las Vegas Nevada — Team World brought home the title in January. Team North America kept the title of “Continental Cup Champions” from 2012-18 before being defeated this year.
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CurlOn (Ontario’s provincial curling association) vice-president Ian Tetley said that the 12 teams in the Continental Cup enjoy getting to play in the tournament.
“For them it’s kind of a relaxed atmosphere, in a sense that all year long you play with four members of your team,” Tetley said. “You’ve now got six different teams that are involved for one greater purpose. You get more interaction with different people, and people that are on your side cheering for you at all times, where usually its just your group of four people.”
For the City of London, it brings large crowds and benefits businesses in the city. Cheryl Finn, Director of Sport Tourism at Tourism London, said that this event would not be possible without the number of volunteers that help run it.
“We wouldn’t be able to successfully run such a large event without the amazing volunteers we have in this city.”
Without the success of the 2018 tournament, the 2020 tournament would most likely not be coming back to the Forest City. Donna Krotz from Curling Canada’s board of governors shared that London hosted an unbelievable event in 2018, and how it was difficult to choose their bid for 2020.
“They blew us away in 2018 and did a fabulous job,” Krotz said. “It was an amazing event and we wanted to bring it back again and I know it will be that amazing and more this time around, too.”
The Sports Centre at the Western Fair will host the 2020 Continental Cup. Tickets go on sale Friday March 29, at noon and are available online or by calling (833) 219-9444.
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