(rdnewsNOW file photo)

By Troy Gillard

Pandemic takes out championship event

Alberta Curling cancels provincials in Sylvan Lake

Jan 8, 2021 | 4:58 PM

Curling Alberta has cancelled its three provincial championships that were set to take place in Sylvan Lake.

The Boston Pizza Cup men’s championship, Alberta Scotties women’s championship and the Alberta Mixed Doubles championship were to be played at the Nexsource Centre in Sylvan Lake from January 25 to February 5.

Curling Alberta says their decision Friday was made due to the province’s continued state of public health emergency in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and evolving provincial health authority directives.

They say provincial representatives for Canada’s national curling championship events, which will be played in a hub in Calgary in February, will still be announced at a later date.

“We’re extremely grateful to the volunteers and partners who stood arm-in-arm with us, working so hard to find a way to make this happen. But in the end, we had to make the responsible and realistic decision to let go of this ambition considering the recent updates,” said Jill Richard, Executive Director of Curling Alberta.

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“I know this is extremely difficult for everyone who was so hopeful for competition including the athletes, our partners, and our fans. We stay hopeful for a safe return to our sport soon, and we truly appreciate the hard work being done by Alberta Health during the pandemic to keep people safe.”

Richard says Thursday’s announcement by Premier Jason Kenney that current public health restrictions would remain in place through at least Jan. 21 made it clear that “it was no longer a realistic situation for our athletes, volunteers, officials, and ice technicians, on whom the event relies” for the Sylvan Lake event to proceed.

Curling Alberta says the status of the remaining events in the provincial curling season remains unchanged.