PointsBet Invitational to Feature Canada's top Curling Teams
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Curling Canada announced Monday that its championship, the PointsBet Invitational, will feature new teams, a new format, and “new ways to be entertained.”
The first PointsBet Invitational will be played from September 21 to 25 at Willie O’Ree Place in Fredericton, N.B. This will be the first event sponsored by PointsBet Canada, the Official Sports Betting Partner of Curling Canada.
This event, the first significant event of the 2022-23 season, brings together the best men and women curling teams in Canada. The PointsBet Invitation is also the first event of the “quadrennial that leads to the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy.”
Event Features New Format
This event will show fans the new teams and the new Curling Canada’s Season of Champions format, with 16 men's and 16 women’s teams competing in a single-elimination tournament.
The purse is over $350,000.
“The drama and emotion of a single-knockout bracket tournament is well-chronicled in sports such as tennis and the NCAA basketball championships, and we expect our new event to bring that kind of passion and excitement to curling,” Katherine Henderson, Chief Executive Officer of Curling Canada, said in a news release.
“It’s also a chance for us to showcase our partnership with PointsBet, and, happily, finally bring a major championship to Fredericton after a couple of disappointing years of cancellations due to the pandemic.”
First PointsBet Sponsored Event
This will be the first event sponsored by PointsBet Canada, the Official Sports Betting Partner of Curling Canada.
“It is truly an honour to host the inaugural PointsBet Invitational,” said Host Committee Chair Wayne Tallon. “After having had two events canceled due to COVID we are looking forward to the opportunity to host this event. For our fans and volunteers it will be exciting for them to watch all the new teams compete in their first big event. We look forward to working with the City of Fredericton, Curling Canada and the title sponsor PointsBet to roll out the red carpet for the players, coaches and fans.”
While the teams are not officially announced, 12 of the 16 for each gender will feature the top 12 ranked teams in the “revamped” World Curling Team Ranking System.
The teams include: “the reigning women’s (Nova Scotia’s Team Emily Deschenes) and men’s (Ontario’s Team Landan Rooney) champions at the New Holland Canadian Juniors, and the reigning women’s (Team Tracy Larocque) and men’s (Nova Scotia’s Team Nick Deagle) champions at the Everest Canadian Curling Club Championships; host committee-selected men’s (Team Jack Smeltzer) and women’s teams (Team Andrea Kelly) from Fredericton.”
A men’s and women’s team will earn a sponsor’s exemption entry.
Prizes For Winners
All 32 teams will receive $5,000 worth of travel expenses. There will also be prizes for each win.
- $3,000 for a first-round win
- $6,000 for a quarterfinal win
- $12,000 for a semifinal win
- $24,000 for finals win
There will be other ways to enjoy the PointsBet Invitation, including The Patch, which will be set up on-site and have live entertainment.
The Friday night of the tournament will have a Celebrity Invitational event featuring “numerous Canadian celebrities” participating in exhibition games.
There are a total of 1,000 seats available, and the full-event package is selling for $249, which includes a single ticket, seat selection for all 10 draws of the Invitational, and entry into the celebrity event.
If you purchased tickets to the canceled 2022 Continental Cup, you will receive an email and get first dibs on the best seats through an “exclusive advanced sales window” from June 22 to 27.
On June 28, at 9 a.m. ET, tickets will be available to the public via Ticketmaster, in-person at the Capital Winter Club, or by phone at (506) 452-0020.
“We’re thrilled to see the PointsBet Invitational make its debut in New Brunswick,” said Bernard Savoie, president of the New Brunswick Curling Association. “We’re also very happy to see Fredericton finally get its opportunity to host a major curling championship after the disappointments of the past two seasons.”
Broadcasting plans will be announced soon.
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