WinSport continues to be Canada's curling central
Feb 23, 2024
Over the past 36 years, WinSport has continued to evolve to meet the changing needs of the sporting community.
One of those areas of evolution has been in the sport of curling, where pardon the pun, WinSport has been solid as a rock. The facilities at Canada Olympic Park (COP) are now synonymous with national and international curling events.
The Scotties Tournament of Hearts enters its final weekend of action at the WinSport Event Centre, with the Canadian women’s champion (and Canadian representative at the World Championships) set to be crowned on Sunday. It has been a hugely successful event, with fans filling the WinSport Event Centre to the rafters for each draw, and the quality of curling proving why these teams are the best in the country.
To add to the excitement, Curling Canada announced Friday morning that WinSport will be hosting the PointsBet Invitational event for the next two years. The showdown is Curling Canada’s annual kickoff event to the season. The 2024 PointsBet Invitational is slated for Sept. 25-29, while in 2025, the dates are Sept. 30-Oct. 5.
“WinSport is proud to work with Curling Canada to continue to host premier curling events at the WinSport Event Centre,” says John Sutherland, WinSport’s Chief Operating Officer. “Our successful track record of hosting major curling events, combined with the versatility of our venue, makes for the perfect location to host the PointsBet Invitational.”
The PointsBet Invitational features five days of competition, with 32 teams battling for more than $350,000 in prize money.
“The packed arena during the Scotties shows what a great curling city Calgary is, and we’re excited that we’ll be coming back here so soon,” said Nolan Thiessen, Chief Executive Officer of Curling Canada. “The WinSport Event Centre has proved time and time again that it’s a wonderful facility to host our championship events, and we’re looking forward to putting on the biggest and best PointsBet Invitationals yet over the next two years.”
WinSport’s foray into curling began with the 2015 World Financial Group Continental Cup, with the event returning to Canada following the 2014 edition, which took place in Las Vegas. It was the first time it was held outside of Canada.
Premier curling events returned to Canada Olympic Park with the 2017 and 2018 Humpty’s Champions Cup, which were the final two events of the Grand Slam of Curling season.
But the pandemic truly entrenched WinSport’s Event Centre as one of the country’s top curling venues, with seven national and international events held at COP in 2021. The events were held with no spectators, but instead cardboard cutouts, with fans left to watch from the confines of their living rooms.
The 2021 curling bubble started with the Scotties Tournament of Hearts in mid-February and wrapped up with the Women’s World Curling Championships in May. Sandwiched in between were the Brier, the Canadian Mixed Doubles Championship, World Men’s Curling Championships and two Grand Slam of Curling events – the Champions Cup and the Players’ Championship.
The Event Centre was also home to the inaugural Pan Continental Curling Championships in 2022
WinSport’s Arenas team has plenty of experience flipping the ice rink to curling sheets or basketball courts, and the dedicated team plays a key role in the success of events that take place at the Event Centre.
Following the Scotties Tournament of Hearts, the Harlem Globetrotters 2024 World Tour takes place at the Event Centre, with two games (March 8 & 9) tipping off on the hardwood.