Calgary to Play Host to 2024 Canadian Women’s Curling Championship
Calgary deserved some reward after having had to host a major women’s curling championship in a closed, pandemic-era, fan-less bubble a few years back, and today they have it.
Curling Canada has awarded the 2024 Scotties Tournament of Hearts to Calgary, specifically to the WinSport Event Centre at Canada Olympic Park on Feb. 16-25.
Bring it on. According to research from Curling Canada, the second largest percentage of Canadian curlers lived in Alberta (19.44 per cent, according to the most recent, 2020 market study). The majority (30.84 per cent) lived in Ontario.
When talking specific markets, leading the way in Canada was Toronto, with 14.10 per cent of the curling market (the size of the curling market, whether participating or watching, in 2020 was estimated to be just over seven million). Calgary was No. 5 in the country in 2020 – 6.76 per cent of the market.
The 64th edition of the Canadian women’s curling championship will bring teams back to the city that hosted the 2021 Scotties. The Tim Hortons Brier, Home Hardware Canadian Mixed Doubles Championship, and the World Men’s and Women’s Curling Championship were also held in Calgary during the height of COVID-19.
“I can’t say enough good things about the City of Calgary and WinSport for the way they worked alongside Curling Canada in 2021, and we are thrilled to bring the Scotties back to Calgary and put on a proper show with fans in 2024,” said Katherine Henderson, Chief Executive Officer of Curling Canada. “WinSport has remarkable facilities, and Calgary’s curling history and passion for major events is well-chronicled. We’re looking forward to an amazing Scotties in 2024.”
The WinSport Event Centre opened in 2011 and has a seating capacity of around 3,000. Alberta teams have won the Canadian women’s championship on eight different occasions, behind only Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Team Canada, with 11 apiece.
The winner of the 2024 Scotties Tournament of Hearts will represent Canada at the World Women’s Curling Championship in Sydney, N.S. and also at the 2025 Scotties Tournament of Hearts as Team Canada. The first entry into the 2024 tournament will be decided on Feb. 26 in Kamloops, B.C., when the 2023 Scotties winner is decided.
