iSport Media and Management together with Tourism Kingston, the K-Rock Centre and the local event organizing committee announced today that Kingston will host the 2011 BDO Canadian Open, the second of four elite men’s championships in the Capital One Grand Slam of Curling series.
UPDATE (Dec 15): View video below of Kingston’s BDO Opening Intro w. our Town Crier (by ‘Grand Slam of Curling’).
The 2011 BDO Canadian Open is scheduled to take place December 14-18 at the K-Rock Centre in Kingston, Ontario and will feature 18 of the world’s best men’s curling teams competing for the BDO Canadian Open and Capital One Cup trophies, hundreds of thousands of dollars in prize money, and valuable qualifying points towards a berth into the 2013 Olympic Trials.
“What a wonderful pre-Christmas present this is for curlers and curling fans in the greater Kingston area and in all of southeastern Ontario,” said Ken Thompson, chair of the local organizing committee.
“Hosting the BDO Canadian Open is a fantastic ‘win-win’ opportunity to showcase our sport and our community. This will be the first event in an exciting triple-header of major curling events coming to the Kingston area, building momentum toward the Canadian Junior Championships in nearby Napanee in 2012, and climaxing at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts at the K-Rock Centre in 2013. We invite all to come and enjoy great Grand Slam curling and experience our city – because Kingston rocks!”
The first round of ticket packages for the 2011 BDO Canadian Open will go on sale Friday, March 11 at 10:00am. Fans can purchase online at K-RockCentre.com, charge by phone at 1-877-554-8399 or at the venue Box Office at 1 Barrack Street, Kingston, Ontario.
“The City of Kingston is ready to host the world’s top curling teams this December,” said Rob Carnegie, Director of Tourism Marketing and Development for Tourism Kingston. “Staging this prestigious event is another example of various organizations partnering together for the good of the economy.”
“The K-ROCK Centre is thrilled to host a Capital One Grand Slam of Curling championship event,” said Ken Noakes, General Manager of the K-Rock Centre. “It’s very exciting that our first-ever curling event will bring a world-class field like this one to our historic city. Curling has a long history in Kingston and showcasing our venue on a national stage is tremendously exciting for Kingston and the K-Rock Centre!”
Kingston is nestled beside Lake Ontario, the St. Lawrence River and the historic Rideau Canal and is ideally situated between Ottawa, Montreal, Toronto and Syracuse, New York.
Kingston also boasts a lengthy and distinguished curling legacy. Established in 1820, the Royal Kingston Curling Club is the second-oldest curling club in Canada and one of the few to own official “Royal” designation.
On January 30, up-and coming curling superstars Team Mike McEwen of Winnipeg defeated six-time consecutive Ontario champions (and 2007 world champions) Team Glenn Howard in the final of the 2010 BDO Canadian Open. Thousands of chanting curling fans cheered the 5-4 extra-end thriller at the General Motors Centre in Oshawa, Ontario and the match attracted a record 770,000 viewers on television.
Held annually since 2001-02, the Capital One Grand Slam of Curling is a series of four premier men’s events that feature the deepest and strongest curling fields from across Canada and the world.
Among the top men’s team skips who compete in the Capital One Grand Slam of Curling series are Olympic medallists Kevin Martin (Edmonton), Brad Gushue (St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador) and Thomas Ulsrud (Oslo, Norway), and world champions Glenn Howard and Wayne Middaugh (Coldwater and Toronto, Ontario), Jeff Stoughton (Winnipeg) and Kevin Koe and Randy Ferbey (Edmonton).
As the multi-year broadcast partner of the Capital One Grand Slam of Curling, CBC Sports will televise all playoff rounds of the 2011 BDO Canadian Open from the K-Rock Centre this December. This season, CBC-TV and iSport Media and Management have also partnered to offer Grand Slam coverage via international webstream, available via: grandslamofcurling.com/curlingtv.
The Capital One Grand Slam of Curling events are closely tied to the Canadian Curling Association’s qualifying process for the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia. Through their performance in the Grand Slam events, Canadian teams can earn significant qualifying points towards securing a berth at the 2013 Canadian Olympic Trials.
UPDATE: Video of the “Opening of the BDO Canadian Open” by Grandslam of Curling on Youtube
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Release by: KEDCO | Photos source Wikipedia (Curling Stone | K-Rock Centre)
(Original post: March 3/11)
