Calgary will host curling's Scotties Tournament of Hearts in 2024
Calgary has been named the host city for the 2024 Scotties Tournament of Hearts.
The Canadian women's curling championship will take place Feb 16 to 25, 2024 at the WinSport Event Centre, the same venue that hosted the event in 2021 before near-empty stands due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The WinSport Event Centre has a seating capacity of around 3,000.
Reaction to the news from politicians and a number of former Canadian curling icons was ecstatic.
"It's a great privilege to welcome Canada's top women's curling teams back to the city in 2024,'' said Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek."While we recently hosted the Scotties as part of the closed curling bubble in 2021, we certainly missed the experience of cheering on the athletes live and in person.''
"Calgary's been behind many great events, including the 1988 Olympics," said two-time Scotties champ Amy Nixon. "Thinking of that, standing at WinSport, but certainly I have every faith that the Calgary community and certainly our partners at Curling Alberta will do an excellent job of hosting the 2024 Scotties.
"We haven't had that many Scotties in Calgary," she added, "So (we're) pretty excited to be able to support the Scotties coming in 2024."
Cheryl Bernard curled in four Scotties and recalled the pandemic event of 2021, which was played at WinSport in front of no fans.
Canadian curler Cheryl Bernard smiles during a training session for the women's curling matches at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Gangneung, South Korea, Monday, Feb. 12, 2018. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP/Aaron Favila
"I felt so bad for the curlers," Bernard said. "And so to be able to come here… and I was here for a Continental Cup when this was standing room only at this venue at WinSport and it was so exciting and they'll pack it to the rafters and the curlers feed off that and the fans do too."
Shannon Kleibrink, who curled in five Scotties, expects that 2024 will be a much different scenario for curlers.
"It's just the right size, so I expect it to be a packed house…standing room only and just a really energized crowd and looking forward to it."
Her thoughts were echoed by 1981 champ Susan Seitz, who added, "Calgary's got a good reputation for a lot of support from the community, the province and we've got a lot of great volunteers and a great curling community really."
The event also figures to be financially rewarding for city businesses.
"The Scotties Tournament of Hearts for the full week of the event in Calgary will deliver in excess of $6 million in economic impact that will support local hotels, local restaurants, local retail, local transportation," said Carson Ackroyd of Tourism Calgary.
Alberta teams have won the Canadian women's championship on eight occasions, behind only Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Team Canada, with 11 apiece.
The 2023 Scotties Tournament of Hearts will be held in Kamloops, B.C., starting Feb. 17.
With files from The Canadian Press
CTVNews.ca Top Stories

Global Affairs reports Canadian killed in Lebanon in connection with Israel-Hamas war
Global Affairs is reporting the death of another Canadian due to the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. This is the ninth casualty connected to Canada.
This Canadian couple used surrogacy to have a child. Here's what they want you to know
Families that need help conceiving a child are met with financial burdens that should be covered through government health care and insurance, advocates say.
From COVID-19 to alien contact, conspiracy theories are popular in Canada: survey
The Earth is flat. We have been secretly contacted by intelligent beings from other planets. Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin did not land on the moon in 1969. They may sound like bizarre statements, but a new poll suggests a sizable number of Canadians believe in these and other conspiracy theories.
Renowned Quebec entrepreneur, partner reported dead in Caribbean
Quebec entrepreneur Daniel Langlois and his spouse Dominique Marchand have died in their adopted home of Dominica, in the Caribbean, a source has confirmed.
Renowned Canadian musician and former April Wine singer Myles Goodwyn dead at 75
Myles Goodwyn, the award-winning Canadian singer and songwriter who shot to stardom as the former lead singer of April Wine, has died at age 75.
Backlash continues following Moncton’s decision to not display the Menorah this year
Outrage seen from the community and across the country online after the news broke Friday that the City of Moncton would not display the Menorah this year.
Canada issues updated travel advisory for Guyana amid border dispute referendum in Venezuela
Amid a referendum that will see Venezuelans asked about the future of a chunk of neighbouring Guyana that Venezuela currently claims ownership over, Canada has adjusted its travel advisory to warn against travelling in Guyana near the border.
Another inmate dead at notoriously harsh Newfoundland jail, officials confirm
An inmate has died at Her Majesty's Penitentiary in Newfoundland, one of the oldest operating provincial jails in the country, officials with the provincial Justice Department confirmed.
Commercial ships hit by missiles in Houthi attack in Red Sea, U.S. warship downs 3 drones
Ballistics missiles fired by Yemen's Houthi rebels struck three commercial ships Sunday in the Red Sea, while a U.S. warship shot down three drones in self-defence during the hourslong assault, the U.S. military said. The Iranian-backed Houthis claimed two of the attacks.