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Friday, November 2, 2012

Wheelchair curling teams aim for qualification

Wheelchair curling teams aim for qualification




The top two finishers from this weekend’s World Wheelchair Curling Qualification tournament will advance to next year’s World Championships in Sochi, Russia.
 
A picture of a man in a wheelchair playing CurlingSwitzerland will try to qualify for the next Paralympic Winter Games in Sochi during the World Wheelchair Curling Championships 2013. © • Getty Images
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At stake are the two final places in the field at February’s World Wheelchair Curling Championships 2013 which will be staged in the Ice Cube Curling Centre in Sochi, Russia and will also serve as the Paralympic test event for the sport.

Eleven teams will try to make a run at qualifying for the Sochi 2014 Paralympic Winter Games when the World Wheelchair Curling Qualification tournament gets underway on Saturday (3 November) at the Kisakallio Sports Institute in Lohja, Finland.

Turkey will make their international wheelchair curling debut at this event, joining 10 other teams including: the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Norway, Poland and Switzerland.

At stake are the two final places in the field at February’s World Wheelchair Curling Championships 2013 which will be staged in the Ice Cube Curling Centre in Sochi, Russia and will also serve as the Paralympic test event for the sport.

Within the eleven teams taking part, there are several athletes with Paralympic Winter Games experience, including Denmark’s Kenneth Orbaek, who competed at the Torino 2006 Games and Jens Jaeger, who competed at Vancouver 2010.

They will be joined by Norwegian two-time Paralympian and former world champion Rune Lorentsen. He returns to skip Norway in the qualification event following their relegation from the top tier of teams.

Italy also returns to the qualification event following their performance at the World Wheelchair Curling Championships in Korea earlier this year.

The event begins with a round-robin format, and then the top four teams after that stage will advance to the playoff round on Thursday (8 November), with the top two finishers advancing to the World Championships from 16-23 February.

A complete schedule of play and list of lineups is available here.

A live online broadcast of the qualification event will be available here.

Russia, Korea, China, Slovakia, USA, Scotland, Canada and Sweden have already qualified for the World Championships based on their final rankings at the 2012 event.

The 2013 World Championships will be the last opportunity for nations to gather qualification points for Sochi 2014.

Thursday, November 1, 2012

World Wheelchair Championship Qualifier begins Saturday


CURLING: World Wheelchair Championship Qualifier begins Saturday


For immediate release: 1 November 2012
 

Lohja, Finland – The 2012 World Wheelchair Curling Qualification event gets underway on Saturday at the Kisakallio Sports Institute in Lohja, Finland.
 

Turkey will make their international wheelchair curling debut at this event, joining 10 other teams including the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Norway, Poland and Switzerland.


The eleven teams are set to compete in the event which will run from 3 to 8 November. At stake are the two final places at the World Wheelchair Curling Championship 2013 which will be staged in the Ice Cube Curling Center in Sochi, Russia (venue for the 2014 Olympic and Paralympic Games).


It is the third year in a row that the qualification event has been hosted by the Kisakallio Sports Institute. As Kate Caithness, World Curling Federation President explains, the Institute is a perfect location for this competition: “Kisakallio is a first class facility for a wheelchair curling event – with accommodation on-site, easily accessible facilities and a fantastic curling venue.” She added: “We must thank the Finnish Curling Association, the Finnish Paralympic Committee and the team from Kisakallio who have excelled as hosts of this qualifier for the last two years and I have no doubt this will be yet another fantastic event for everyone involved.”


Of the eleven teams taking part, there are several athletes with Paralympic Winter Games appearances to their names, including Kenneth Ørbaek (Denmark) who competed in Turin 2006, and Jens Jäger (Germany) who competed in Vancouver 2010.


They will be joined by Norwegian Paralympian (Turin 2006 & Vancouver 2010) and former World Wheelchair Curling Champion (2007 & 2008), Rune Lorentsen. He returns to skip Norway in the qualification event following their relegation from the World Wheelchair Curling Championship 2012.

 

Italy also returns to the qualification event following their performance at the World Wheelchair Curling Championship in Korea earlier this year.

 

The event starts on Saturday afternoon, with the eleven teams playing in a round-robin through to Wednesday 7 November. The top four teams at the end of the round-robin will meet in the playoff games for the two qualifying places for the World Championship on Thursday the 8 November.

 

The World Wheelchair Curling Championship 2013 will take place at the Ice Cube Curling Center, Sochi, Russia, from 16-23 February. Visit the event website: www.wwhcc2013.curlingevents.com

 

Russia, Korea, China, Slovakia, USA, Scotland, Canada and Sweden have already qualified for this event based on the final ranking at the 2012 event.

 

The 2013 World Championships will be the last opportunity for nations to gather qualification points for the Wheelchair Curling Competition at the Paralympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia in 2014. For the list of points visit www.worldcurling.org/curling-at-the-paralympics

 

The schedule of play and team line-ups for this event are available online at: www.worldcurling.org/world-wheelchair-curling-qualification-2012

 

Results and LIVE webcasting will be provided on the Finnish Curling Association website:



 

World Curling Federation Wheelchair Curling Events Facebook:

Go hit ‘like’ to keep updated:


 

ENDS

 

Media Contacts onsite:

Katja Kiiskinen

Media Relations

Kisakallio/Finnish Curling Association


Tel: +358 40 5898 194

 

Danny Parker

Media Relations

World Curling Federation


Tel: +44 7937 057 032

 

Media - World Curling Federation


Tel: +372 592 442 35

Wednesday, October 31, 2012

USA Curling receives grant to increase participation in wheelchair curling

October 30, 2012


The United States Curling Association (USCA) has received a grant from the Olympic Opportunity Fund to help advance its wheelchair curling outreach programs. To read the complete press release, click here.

CURLING: U.S. Curling Association receives grant to increase participation in wheelchair curling



FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Oct. 30, 2012
U.S. Curling Association receives grant to increase participation in wheelchair curling
(STEVENS POINT, Wis.) - The United States Curling Association (USCA) has received a grant from the Olympic Opportunity Fund to help advance its wheelchair curling outreach programs.
The Olympic Opportunity Fund is provided through a partnership between the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) and the Department of Veterans Affairs. Grants ranging from $10,000 to $25,000 were provided to USOC partner organizations to increase the number and quality of opportunities for physically and visually impaired veterans to participate in physical activity within their home communities and in more advanced Paralympic sport programs.
"Thanks to the generous support from the United States Olympic Committee and the Department of Veterans Affairs, we are excited for the opportunity to introduce the sport of wheelchair curling to our injured service members and veterans," said Marc Deperno, USA Curling's national wheelchair outreach and development program director. "We aim to provide an athletic experience that will serve as a gateway to continued recreational or competitive opportunities and ultimately enrich their lives."
The USCA aims to conduct at least four outreach clinics during the 2012-13 season and estimates at least 50 disabled veterans and disabled members of the Armed Forces will be served. The purpose of the program is to identify, recruit, train, and support Paralympic-eligible athletes in an effort to improve their quality of life and potentially become internationally competitive. As a result, the USCA believes the participants will have a positive experience and opportunity to continue with the lifelong sport of curling.
The grant funds will be used to conduct a minimum of four outreach clinics throughout the United States by June 30, 2013, to introduce wheelchair curling and recruit disabled veterans to the national program; provide opportunities for clinic attendees to participate in a mini competition during the wheelchair curling clinics, and for the purchase of at least eight delivery sticks needed for the clinics.
In its third year, the Olympic Opportunity Fund has provided more than $4 million to 223 USOC partner and community programs, resulting in thousands of veterans with physical and visual impairments who are participating in sport programs and opportunities at the regional and national levels.
Since 2001, the USCA has supported national development of wheelchair curling. The association's mission continues to focus on providing education and training in the Paralympic sport of wheelchair curling to individuals with disabilities in an effort to improve their quality of life by attaining personal achievement and encouraging social interaction, as well as provide an opportunity to represent our country at the Paralympic level.
USA Curling is sponsored by AtomAmpd, Brooms Up Curling Supplies, Nike, RAM Brewery & Restaurant and Sitrin Health Care, and is partnered with CurlingZone.com.
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For more information: Terry Kolesar, USA Curling, terry.kolesar@usacurl.org, 715-344-1199, Ext. 202, or 608-338-9900 (cell).