by Nash Alonto
Feb. 29, 2024
Charlottetown is set to host the Grand Slam of Curling Tour Challenge for the first time.
The early-October event at the Bell Aliant Centre was announced during today’s press conference at City Hall. It will be the eighth edition of the competition.
The Tour Challenge is the largest of the Grand Slam of Curling series, where 32 men’s and 32 women’s teams from around the world take part. It will be broadcast on SportsNet in Canada and streamed internationally online.
Curling legend and Olympic gold medalist Jennifer Jones, who will be retiring by the end of the current curling season, said the Tour Challenge showcases not only the best Tier 1 teams, but also the up-and-comers in Tier 2. Jones, along with P.E.I. native Lauren Lenentine and other members of Team Jones, will defend their title as the reigning women’s champions.
“It’s the opportunity for (Tier 2) teams to be able to advance to the next level,” she said.
Jones added the Grand Slam of Curling gives women the opportunity to shine on national television.
“I have come through the era of women’s curling where we actually were never on TV, and then we evolved, and it was the Grand Slams many years ago that wanted women’s curling to be on par with men. They’ve advocated for women’s curling before other sports were advocating for women,” she said.
Each of the teams will be divided into two tiers, with the winner of Tier 2 advancing into Tier 1, while the bottom-placed Tier 1 team will be relegated to Tier 2.
Hosting the top 64 men’s and women’s curling teams in Charlottetown is beyond exciting, said Mayor Phillip Brown. Brown listed the previous national and international events that contributed to Charlottetown’s successful bid, such as last year’s Canada Winter Games and the Under-17 World Hockey Challenge.
“Charlottetown is the place to host your events, and this event, it just slides right into what we’ve accomplished last year,” he said.
Brown said Charlottetown is strategically capitalizing on the $7.4-billion domestic sport tourism market, which will contribute more revenue to the city.
“The Grand Slam will stimulate our local economy … it takes strong partnerships to deliver such amazing events,” he said.
P.E.I. Sports Minister Cory Deagle said hosting the Tour Challenge is an honour for the province.
“This event is a great opportunity to build on our goal…towards making P.E.I. (a) four-season tourist destination, and one of those ways to accomplish that is by hosting top-level sporting events, like this one, which aligns well with our tourism industry strategy,” Deagle said.
The minister said sport tourism is a vital part of the Island’s tourism industry, as well as a key economic contributor during its non-peak tourism visitation season.
“Tourism P.E.I. is very pleased to be a major partner of the HearingLife Tour Challenge, and to provide an investment of $100,000. Our Island will be on display for the world to see … a large influx of visitors will also have a huge economic impact on our province. Accommodation operators, eating establishments, retail businesses, (and) entertainment venues will reap the benefits of having large number of people attending this tournament,” he said.
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