The City of Kamloops has officially been named the host of next year’s B.C. men’s and women’s curling championships.
It’s not a huge surprise as Kamloops was to host the event this year before it was cancelled due to COVID-19. The 2022 edition will be held from Jan. 4 to Jan. 9 at the McArthur Island sportsplex.
“We already have a fantastic committee in place and we look forward to hitting the ground running for 2022,” Linda Bolton, the co-chair of the Kamloops tournament committee said, in a statement.
“The Kamloops business community was very supportive of the 2021 event so we want to thank them for their efforts and we look forward to working with them again this next season.”
The top women’s and men’s teams in the province will play for spots at the 2022 Scotties and the Brier respectively. The B.C. championships are usually held in late January, but it is being held a little earlier because of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, China.
“Kamloops has always been a strong supporter of curling, and we’re excited to bring a major curling event back to the Tournament Capital,” Mayor Ken Christian said. “We are so pleased to be able to host this event and welcome elite sport back into our community.”
Given that the 2021 B.C. championships were cancelled, there will not be a defending champion at either event next year.
Kamloops natives Jim Cotter and Corryn Brown won the 2020 edition of the B.C. men’s and women’s curling championships respectively. It allowed them to represent the province at the past two Briers and Scotties in 2020 and 2021.
CurlBC CEO Scott Braley says its unclear if COVID-19 safety protocols like the use of masks or social gatherings will be required for these events, though he says it’s not expected to be a bubble event.
“We look forward to returning to competition in 2021-22 and working with municipalities, curlers, and volunteers from across B.C. to make these championships a success,” Braley said.
We’ve released our full schedule for next season. Thank you to every single #curling community who agreed to host. https://t.co/fFDNTSWPiJ
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— CurlBC (@CurlBC) April 19, 2021
