THUNDER BAY – SPORTS – There has been no decision from Curling Canada on the Scotties Tournament of Hearts which will be held in 2021 in Thunder Bay. As of today, Curling Canada says, “The status of the remaining Curling Canada championships for the 2020-21 season — the Scotties Tournament of Hearts, the Tim Hortons Brier, presented by AGI, the World Men’s Curling Championship, the Home Hardware Canada Cup and the Canadian Mixed Doubles Championship — remains unchanged and no further information is available at this time”.
Today, Curling Canada did announce that six curling championship events scheduled for 2021 will be cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Those events include the Continental Cup in Oakville, Ont., the Canadian Under-18 Championships in Timmins, Ont.; the New Holland Canadian Junior (Under-21) championships in Fort McMurray, Alta.; the Canadian Wheelchair Championship in Moose Jaw, Sask., the inaugural Canadian Under 15 RockFest, and the U SPORTS/Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association championships have been cancelled and will not be rescheduled for later in the season.
The decisions to cancel events came down primarily to the safety of participants and volunteers (most of the cancelled events are operated mainly by local volunteers), travel restrictions (a significant factor for the Continental Cup as international teams likely couldn’t have participated) and the costs of running the events with numerous restrictions due to the pandemic.
“We considered all options, but in the end, we had to make the responsible decision — for the athletes, for the volunteers and for the organization, to ensure the safety of those involved in the championships as well as the viability of the sport in Canada,” said Katherine Henderson, Chief Executive Officer of Curling Canada.
The scheduled host cities for the cancelled 2021 events have all graciously agreed to host Curling Canada championships in the future.
The 2021 Canadian Senior Championships are still on tap for the fall of 2021; dates and a host city will be announced at a later date.
