Wheelchair Curling Championship to receive enhanced online coverage

Wheelchair Curling Championship to receive enhanced online coverage

THUNDER BAY, ON – The event organizing committee in partnership with Wheelchair Curling Blog 2 today announced enhanced online coverage plans for the 2012 Canadian Wheelchair Curling Championship.

Selected draws of the Championship, scheduled for Mar. 18-25 at the Fort William Curling Club in Thunder Bay, Ont., will be shown live via webstream at curling.ca, the website of the Canadian Curling Association (CCA). In addition to live scoring, statistics and editorial coverage, a live blog will also provide in-game commentary, which will be mirrored at wheelchaircurler.blogspot.com.

Ten teams from across Canada will compete for the Canadian title with representatives from eight of 10 provinces and two from Northern Ontario. The round-robin competition will precede the Page Playoff system in the CCA-sanctioned championship.

“We are delighted to announce new and enhanced coverage efforts for Canada’s top wheelchair curling champions,” said Dave Kawahara, Chair – Host Committee “Thunder Bay is a dynamic curling market, and the accomplishments of these curlers in that environment will be available for more Canadian curling fans to watch, follow and cheer.”

This is ninth edition of the Canadian Wheelchair Curling Championship. The inaugural event was held in Toronto in 2004, while Edmonton staged the 2011 edition. The 2013 championship will be hosted in Ottawa.

Wheelchair curling is played on the same ice with the same rocks and under the same rules as regular curling, although without sweeping.  In addition, the stones are delivered from a stationary wheelchair. 

Canada has won wheelchair curling gold at the last two Paralympic Winter Games, at Torino 2006 (Daw)  and Vancouver 2010 (Armstrong).

Admission to the championship is free. The Opening Ceremonies take

place at 2:00 p.m. local time on Monday, March 19, 2012 with the Championship Final scheduled for Sunday,  March 25 2012.

Fans can follow the action online at:  curling.ca/championships/wheelchair

For more information contact:

Dave Kawahara, Chair – Host Committee at 807-628-3958