Beijing, China to host 2014 World Men’s Curling Championship

The World Curling Federation (WCF) has announced that the Chinese capital, Beijing, will host the 2014 World Men’s Curling Championship. The event will take place from March 29 to April 6, 2014.

“The award of the 2014 World Men’s Championship to Beijing is a major landmark in the development of curling” said World Curling Federation President Kate Caithness following a signing ceremony at the WCF secretariat in Perth, Scotland on Wednesday.

“It will be the first time that a World Men’s Curling Championship will be staged in the Pacific-Asia zone. In the last decade we have witnessed a surge in growth of curling in the region. Following on from the World Women’s Curling Championships in Japan in 2007 and Korea in 2009, China will now host the top twelve men’s teams in the world and we look forward to working with our partners and sponsors to stage a first class show for the world to enjoy.”

“The Chinese Curling Association would like to thank the World Curling Federation for putting their trust in us and our partners to host the 2014 World Men’s Curling Championship” said Ni Huizhong, President of the Chinese Curling Association. He added: “Curling is a sport that is growing incredibly fast not only throughout China but also throughout the rest of the Pacific-Asia region. We hope that this event, being staged just after the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia, will help continue to inspire the next generation of curlers throughout the world. We would like to invite everyone to China in 2014 and the city of Beijing to be part of this incredible experience.”

At the same time as the 2014 World Men’s host agreement was signed, Titlis Glacier Mountain confirmed their title sponsorship of the Titlis Glacier Mountain World Women’s Curling Championship 2013, in Riga, Latvia. They have also confirmed they will be a main sponsor, along with the City of Lucerne, of the 2014 Men’s World Curling Championships in Beijing, China.

On agreeing these sponsorship deals, Norbert Patt, CEO of Titlis Cableways, Hotels and Restaurants, said: “Our previous sponsorships of the World Women’s Curling Championship in 2009 and 2011 resulted in increasing awareness for the Titlis Glacier Mountain tourist destination. So it was a logical step to extend the partnership with the WCF, especially for the 2014 event in Beijing, China, which is very important for us. Titlis Glacier Mountain and the city of Lucerne are the top two destinations for Asian tourists visiting Switzerland.”

The venue for the World Men’s Curling Championship will be announced at a later date, with a number of options available in Beijing for the event. The 2013 Ford World Men’s Curling Championship will take place from March 30 – April 7 at the Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre in Victoria BC, Canada.

The 2014 Ford World Women’s Curling Championship will take place in Saint John, New Brunswick in Canada from 15-23 March. The 2013 World Women’s Curling Championship will take place from March 16-24 at the Volvo Sports Center in Riga, Latvia.