PRESIDENT’S NEWSLETTER

December 2014 Welcome

The new WCF Board Photo: WCF/Richard Gray

Inside this issue:

World 2 Congress & AGA Recent Events 2-3 Other News 4 Commissions 5

Development 6-7 It’s been a few months now since our last newsletter and a lot has been happening in the MA News 8-9 world of curling. Event Bidding 10 The third annual World Curling Congress took place in Reno, USA from 4 to 8 September, Deadlines 11 which proved, yet again, to be extremely constructive. Member Associations (MAs) were given the opportunity to meet and discuss important issues face to face, find out about recent (WCF) activities and meet in Zonal Commissions to discuss regional matters. At the WCF Annual General Assembly a new Board was elected while a number of key changes to the sport were approved. Several curling events have also taken place since then, including the European Mixed, European C-Division, World Wheelchair Curling Qualification event, Pacific-Asia and Le Gru- Special points of yère European Curling Championships. interest: Several hosts for forthcoming events have also been announced while the WCF’s Competi- tions and Development team have been busy in locations around the world.  Forthcoming event I hope you enjoy reading this latest newsletter and remember, you can read more about each hosts announced ( p3) story by clicking on the headline.  Curler wins ‘Athletes in Excellence’ award(p4) New WCF Board  Curling sculpture re- A new Board structure is zone for a three year term. Elected to the four other vealed (p4) now in effect comprised of Hugh Millikin (AUS), was Board Member positions  Camps & Courses (p6) eight Board Members. elected Vice-President, by were Albert ‘Andy’ Anderson acclamation, for the Pacific- (USA) (four year term); Hew  Olympic Celebration I, Kate Caithness (SCO), was Asia zone for a two year term Chalmers (SCO) (three year Tour update (p7) elected as President, by accla- mation, for a four year term. and Bent Ramsfjell (NOR), term); Laura Lochanski  Media News (p8) was elected Vice-President, (CAN) (two year term) Graham Prouse (CAN), was  President’s Roundup by acclamation, for the Euro- and Toyo Ogawa (JPN) (one elected Vice-President, by (p11) pean zone for one year. year term ). acclamation, for the Americas Page 2 NEWS December 2014 Newsletter World Curling Congress 2014 & Annual General Assembly In addition to a new Board of Directors being elected, several into effect at a later date. To find out when, visit: other key changes were approved at the Annual General As- http://wcf.co/1Gqkczo sembly in Reno, USA. Some proposals put forward by the Competitions and Rules These include the introduction of Thinking Time instead of Commission and the Athlete Commission did not receive the Running Time; replacing the European Mixed Curling Champi- required two third majority of votes so the Commissions plan onship with a World Mixed Curling Championship; to have to revisit those proposals to see if they should be presented only one round of tie-breaks at WCF events; replacement of again at the 2015 World Curling Congress. the current zonal junior qualification system with a World Other proposals we will be looking to develop ahead of next group system - the World Junior-B Curling Championships; year’s Congress are the replacement of current U21 age group adjustment to the rule for the Last Stone Draw (LSD) and with U18 and U23 age groups as well as the issue of light Draw Shot Challenge (DSC) to incorporate two individual colours for team uniforms. LSDs per game; introduction of a new system for measuring The fourth annual World Curling Congress will take place at the LSD (to be tested 2014/15 season); prevent the use of the Crowne Plaza, Belgrade, Serbia, from 2-5 September 2015. electronic devices on the field of play and the The 2015 WCF Annual General Assembly will be held on 5 approval of the WCF Wheelchair Classification Rules. September. Some of the changes are already in use, while others will come

The World Curling Congress 2014 Photo: Don Chang Pacific-Asia Curling Championships 2014 EVENTS Congratulations to China men and women who both won gold Japan won bronze. Japan have already qualified as host of the at the Pacific-Asia Curling Championships 2014 in Karuizawa, World Women’s Curling Championship 2015 with China the Japan. other qualifier from this event. Congratulations must also go to the other medal winners, Japan I was not able to attend this year, but Vice-President Hugh Milli- men who took silver and qualified along with China for the Ford kin told me that both the organisation and the world class facili- World Men’s Curling Championship 2015. Korea men won ty in Karuizawa made for an excellent competition. bronze. In the women’s event, Korea, who only lost one game Our thanks go to the local organising committee and the Japan in the event, albeit the gold medal game, took silver, while Curling Association for delivering such a terrific event.

China men and women, Pacific-Asia Curling Champions 2014 Photos: WCF/Richard Gray December 2014 Newsletter EVENTS Page 3 Le Gruyère European Curling Championships 2014 The 2014 edition of the Le Gruyère Eu- and Monthey (where the B-Division was ropean Curling Championships was held held), with the coordination of the local in Champéry, . organising committee, delivered yet an- Following on from an excellent Pacific- other top quality event. Witnessing pro- Asia Curling Championships, the Euro- ceedings were nearly 6,500 spectators pean’s did not let us down in terms of who came along throughout the week. performance and competition. The event broke new ground being tele- vised in and the USA for the first Congratulations to all of the medal win- time. ners. In the men’s - (gold); Nor- way (silver) and Switzerland (bronze). I would like to thank Le Gruyère for their longstanding sponsorship of this event A special tribute must also be paid to and all of the local partners for their sup- and her team from Swit- port. zerland who won the European title in the same calendar year as they won the During this event the final European Curl- World Women’s Championship. ing Federation meeting was held at which the ECF was formally dissolved. All Euro- picked up silver while Scotland pean MAs now plan to meet as part of won bronze. The people of Champéry the WCF’s European Zonal Commission. Sweden men and Switzerland women, European Curling Champions 2014 Photo: WCF/Richard Gray

Other events The European Mixed Curling Championship 2014 kicked off the season in Taarnby, Denmark in September. Congratulations to winners Sweden and the other medal winners, Norway (silver ) and Switzerland (bronze). This was the last ever European Mixed Curling Championship as from next season it will become the World Mixed Curling Championship. The European Curling Championships C-Division was held in Zoetermeer, Nether- lands in October. Netherland and Slovakia women and Belgium and Israel men qualified from this event for the Le Gruyère European Curling Championships B-Division. In November, Lillehammer in Norway played host to the World Wheelchair Curling

Norway qualified for the WWhCC 2015 along with Qualification event. Here, hosts Norway and Germany qualified for the World Wheelchair Germany Photo: WCF Curling Championship 2015 after finishing in the top two positions. Event announcements Over the past few months, several locations and the World Men’s Curling Championship have been announced for upcoming WCF 2020 (Glasgow). curling events. The city of Esbjerg in Denmark was award- During Congress, MAs were told that ed both the European Curling Championships the World Mixed Doubles Curling Champi- 2015 (20-28 November) and the World onship and the World Senior Curling Cham- Women’s Curling Championship 2019. pionships 2015 will be held in , Russia Elsewhere, the Ford World Women’s Curling between 18-25 April 2015. Championship 2016 is returning to Swift In December we signed a multi-host deal with Current, Canada (19-27 March 2016 ). Scotland which will see them hold the Euro- Lohja, Finland meanwhile will host both the pean Curling Championships 2016 World Wheelchair Curling Qualification (Braehead), World Junior Curling Champi- event 2015 (7-12 November) and the World onships 2018 (Aberdeen), World Wheel- Junior-B Curling Championships 2016 (3-9 Scottish skips (from L-R) , Aileen chair Curling Championship 2019 (Stirling) Neilson and David Murdoch at the Scottish January). announcement Photo: WCF/Richard Gray Page 4 OTHER NEWS December 2014 Newsletter Curling sculpture

We were delighted to be the first Olympic Winter sport to have a sculpture placed in the Olympic Park at the Olympic Muse- um in , Switzerland in September. I had the pleasure of unveiling the sculpture by Swiss artist and sculptor Bjoern Zryd, entitled ‘Curling Pure Emotion’, together with International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach. The sculpture re-enforces the link between curling, the Olympic movement and the City of Lausanne. It has been placed in a prime position in the Olympic Museum grounds for all to see. (Left): Unveiling the curling sculpture with IOC President Thomas Bach. (Right): The sculpture. Photos: Curling Club Lausanne Olympique

Robert Susanj wins Athletes in Excellence Award We were delighted to hear that Slovenia’s Robert As well as competing as an athlete, Robert also organ- Susanj won a Foundation for Global Sports ises a number of charity events to help both curling Development ‘Athletes in Excellence’ award which and other causes. recognises exceptional athletes who uphold the values Earlier this year, Robert was one of the instrumental of good sportsmanship and fair play both on and off figures behind support sent from Jesenice Curling Club the field. to Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia when they were Robert has been one of the driving forces behind the suffering from floods. development of curling in his country. He helped es- Robert is an inspirational figure in Slovenia but this tablish a very successful club (Jesenice Curling Club) award gives him the international recognition that he which has nearly 30 active players and 21 junior ath- deserves for the tremendous work he has done for letes. They have managed to purchase curling equip- the sport of curling and his charity work. ment and organise a structured development system As part of the award, Robert will receive a $10,000 whilst also training instructors and officials to help USD grant, enabling him to pursue his passions and Slovenia’s Robert Susanj meet the demand for the sport in Slovenia. create even more positive change in Slovenia. Photo: WCF/Richard Gray

Anti-Doping update The 2015 WCF Anti-Doping Rules adopted and implemented in conformance with WCF’s responsibilities under the 2015 World Anti-Doping Code (WADC), will take effect as from 1 January 2015. The new Rules can be found on our website: http://wcf.co/1sz0GOs The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has published the Athlete Reference Guide to the 2015 WADC which provides an explanation of athlete’s roles and responsibilities, details of what constitutes an anti-doping rule violation, information on the Prohibited List and supplements and details on matters ranging from the `Whereabouts` rule to Therapeutic Use Exemptions (TUEs) amongst other topics. Prevention through education is our key strategy and it is you, our MAs, who can help ensure our sport remains doping free by educating your coaches and athletes about the dangers of dop- ing. For more information about anti-doping contact the WCF: [email protected] Page 5 COMMISSIONS December 2014 Newsletter Athlete Commission

Over the past few months the WCF’s athletes elect fellow athletes. Athlete Commission has been focusing on As part of the ongoing development process, the structure and goals of the Commission. they have been working in collaboration with One of their key objectives was setting out a WCF staff, gathering knowledge and infor- plan for electing future members and the mation with a view to preparing a database of duration of their term on the Commission. athletes who would be eligible to be elected The plan for the first Athlete Commission is to the WCF Athlete Commission. to start to rotate two members in 2016 and Another important part of their work will be then two members of the Commission will interacting with athletes at WCF events as be replaced every two years. they look to reach out to their target audi- The new members shall be announced in ence and find out what ideas the athletes June and going forward an elected member have for developing our sport, and the views may be re-elected up to two times they have on certain issues already within Canada’s , one of the Athlete Com- (maximum service eight years). curling. mission members Photo: CCA/Michael Burns The Commission is working towards having

Competition & Rules Commission The WCF Competition and Rules Commission met during the Annual Congress in Reno to finalise the rules proposals being made to the MAs. Joint meetings were also held with the Athlete Commis- sion ahead of the voting on the proposals. Most of the proposed rules amendments were adopted by the WCF General Assembly, with a number being referred back to the Compe- tition and Rules Commission for further work. The Commission will continue review and analyse existing and amend- ed rules and will propose enhancements to MAs as necessary. Pacific-Asia Vice-President Hugh Milliken (AUS) has since been appointed Chair of the Competition and Rules Commission, with New Moving to Thinking Time was one of the key rules to be adopted in 2014: Zealand’s Hans Frauenlob joining as a Commission member. The rest http://wcf.co/wcfthinkingtime Photo: WCF/Richard Gray of the existing members will continue in their posts.

Governance & Finance Commissions The Governance Commission met during the Annual Congress in Reno in advance of the first elections under the WCF Constitution accepted by the WCF General Assembly in 2013. The Commission will be Chaired by new WCF Board Member Laura Lochanski (CAN), with the rest of the Commission remaining in their posts. The Commission will continue to review the WCF's governance operation and provide input and advice to the Board going forward. Specifically, the Commission will be providing support to the Board in terms of governance policy and best practices. The Finance Commission last met at the 2014 Congress. There they proposed subscription fees that they had developed, which were adopted with unanimous support of the MAs. The Commission had reviewed several alternatives but were in agreement that the rate should be primarily based on the voting strength of the MA as this also correlated to the number of participants in their respec- tive organisation. The Finance Commission has also reviewed the proposed Term of Reference (TOR) for the Com- mission. As provided in the TOR, the Commission reviews the periodic Financial Statements of the WCF and makes appropriate recommendations to the Board. The Finance Commission has also been involved in the selection process of a second financial advisor to assist the WCF’s management WCF Board Member Laura Lochanski will now in improving the return on its investment assets while maintaining maximum protection of these Chair the Governance Commission assets. Photo: WCF/Richard Gray December 2014 Newsletter DEVELOPMENT Page 6

Development Assistance Programme (DAP) Since June we have approved DAP Projects totalling $217,000 USD. 29 MAs have submitted DAP applications and many more have been in contact re- garding their planned projects. Some of the latest projects supported were the purchase of equipment; repayment of contracts for stones and scrapers; organisation of courses, camps and come-and-try curling sessions; the production of brochures and manuals and translation of the ‘Curling - a 2 minute guide’ video. It’s great to see that there’s more and more activities happening all around the world aimed at promoting and developing curling. For more information about DAP, please contact [email protected] MAs have used DAP money to translate educational curling videos

Camps & Courses Back in late August, the eighth WCF We are now taking entries for the WCF be organised. For more information, visit: Adult Curling Camp was held in Prague, Adult Curling Camp which will take place www.wcf-camps-courses.com Czech Republic. in Bratislava, Slovakia between 29 January This year we had 49 adults from 14 dif- and 1 February 2015. The deadline for ferent MAs taking part, including Belgium; entries is 10 January 2015. Croatia; Czech Republic; Denmark; If you are over 21, have played for at England; Germany; Hong Kong; Italy; least one year and want to improve your Poland; Russia; Slovakia; Slovenia; curling (delivery, sweeping skills, strategy, Switzerland and the . etc) and learn from three top instructors, The instructors this year were Jerome this camp is for you. Whether you are a Gazdewich (CAN), Judith McCleary novice, intermediate or advanced curler, (SCO) and Allen Coliban (ROM). They you can benefit from the relaxed learning were supported by two top athletes, environment in a top class facility while and from Spain meeting other curlers from around the world. Special activities and contests (World Mixed Doubles bronze medallists Participants of the Adult Curling Camp in Prague, Czech Republic Photo: WCF in 2014). (Curling Night, Hot Shots, etc) will also

Curling Equipment Programme (CEP) We’re pleased to announce that BalancePlus and Goldline have both agreed to continue with our Curling Equipment Programme (CEP). They will be providing us with brushes and sliders for WCF Camps as well as MA organised camps or clinics. England has just received a CEP package to support their junior curling initiative and the WCF Adult Curling Camp in Bratislava, Slovakia has also received a CEP package. For additional information about this programme visit the www.worldcurling.org/curling-e quipme nt- programme-cep or contact [email protected] Page 7 December 2014 Newsletter Olympic Celebration Tour (OCT) We are well into the second year of this programme and we thank The Foundation for Global Sports Development for their continued support. To date we have confirmed Tour stops in Portland, Charlotte and Phoenix in the USA during January and February 2015. We are looking for two applications from the European zone and two applications from the Pacific-Asia zone. We have had a couple of queries from these areas but nothing has been confirmed yet. For additional information about this programme visit www.worldcurling.org/olympic-celebration- Olympian Shannon Kleibrink with OCT participants in Japan earlier this year tour or contact [email protected] for more information. Photo: Richard Kleibrink

Business of Curling The first Business of Curling Symposium hosted in Prague had a very good turnout and we expected to see the programme grow from there. Unfortu- nately that has not been the case. We had discussions with potential hosts during the Reno Congress and most recently via email with a couple of others. During those discussions we have talked about tailoring the programme based on the locale and clubs that will participate. For example, hosting a Business of Curling Symposium over a weekend where an MA would invite representatives from all of their nearby clubs. Discussions would be tailored to issues within the MA with the added bene- fit of all clubs working together. If you are interested in hosting a Business of Curling Symposium or for addi-

The first Business of Curling Symposium in Prague tional information about this programme contact

Photo: WCF [email protected]

Coach Mentoring Programme The WCF hosted the second in a series of Coach Mentoring Programmes at the Le Gruyère European Curling Championships in Champéry, Switzerland between 27-29 November. It was intended to give participating coaches an immersion into a world- class championship by visiting behind the scenes, meeting other coaches and being lectured by renowned sport expert Ken Bagnell, for- mer coach of Canadian world champion . The course was conducted by WCF Competitions & Development Officer Scott Arnold who guided seven coaches from Austria, Estonia, Finland, Israel, Italy, Netherlands and Romania through the programme. Plans are afoot to host another programme at the Ford World Men’s Curling Championship 2015 in Halifax, Canada this April. For further information about this programme and details about how to Participants on the latest Coach Mentoring Programme at ECC apply, contact [email protected] Photo: WCF December 2014 Newsletter MEDIA Page 8

Since our last newsletter we have launched three new websites: wwhcc2015.curlingevents.com (World Wheelchair Curling Championship 2015) wjcc2015.curlingevents.com (World Junior Curling Championships 2015) wwcc2015.curlingevents.com (World Women’s Curling Championship 2015) We also welcomed three students as part of our Sports Media Trainee Programme to the Le Gruyère European Curling Championships 2014. Journalist Sarah Lane, photographer Flannery Allison and TV Production trainee Jordan The three Sports Media trainees at ECC 2014 Schenkelberg all produced work for the media and television production from the Photo: WCF/Richard event. You can view some of their work here: ecc2014.curlingevents.com and read their blog here: http://wcf.co/1BYh5Qe. The programme has just reopened as we search for a trainee photographer and jour- nalist for the World Junior Curling Championships 2015 in Tallinn, Estonia in February and also for a trainee journalist and TV Production trainee for the World Women’s Curling Championship 2015 which is taking place in Sapporo, Japan in March. A train- ee photographer from Hong Kong, Sung Lok Hin, will join us in Japan as well. Please help us promote this programme to students in your country. The deadline for entries is 22 January. More details here: http://t.co/RrQTYzUVuI.

Curling in Slovenia has been developing incredibly fast in MA NEWS recent months. In 2013, Slovenia sent 15 junior athletes to the WCF’s Fuessen Junior Curling Camp, the largest contingent from any nation. However, as the popularity continued to grow they could not afford to send more juniors. For that reason, the Slovenian Curling Association developed the first Slovenian Junior Curling camp which ran from 6-11 August 2014 in Jesenice (pictured left and right, Photos: Slovenian Curling Associa- tion). 30 juniors from Slovenia took part in the camp where they undertook cardio vascular fitness and mental preparation for curling, both in the classroom and on the ice. The Slovenian Curling Association is now looking to improve this camp and it up to international visitors and coaches as well. For more information, visit: www.curling-zveza.si

US Curling recently hosted a made-for-TV international curling Denmark appointed Ulrik Schmidt event at their National Training Centre in Blaine in early Decem- (pictured below) as their Director of ber. The eight-team competition titled the US Curling Grand Prix featured Sport. The three time European Curling Champi- teams from the USA, China, Japan, and New Zealand (pictured below, Photo: onship silver medallist’s main tasks will be to US Curling). Six episodes from the event will be featured on NBCSN. World implement a new strategy focusing on new talent Curling TV produced the coverage with Carr-Hughes Productions of Saratoga and elite curling, includ- Springs, packaging the programmes for NBCSN. ing the development of their world-class ath- letes, as well as building a Danish Curling Acade- my. For more info visit: http:// wcf.co/1DFDgM1 December 2014 Newsletter MA NEWS Page 9 The Canadian Curling tions. Support from the ‘For The Love of Association (CCA) has Curling’ programme will help the goal of extended its partnership reaching the one million participant goal. with the highly successful Rocks & Rings The CCA has also released an econom- programme for another four years. ic impact report detailing the success of The programme, which introduces young recent curling events held in Canada. curlers to curling in a school setting will The major championship events held The CCA’s Season of Champions generated long term be rebranded as ‘CCA Rocks & Rings’ there last season generated an estimated benefits for curling across Canada and is building off a record 2013-14 total economic impact to the host com- Photo: WCF/CCA/Michael Burns academic year during which the pro- munities and Canadian provinces of $57 gramme visited 1,456 schools and got was recognised with the Economic Driver million CDN, on such varied services as 228,162 students involved, not to men- Award by Hospitality Saint John. hotels, restaurants and retail. tion their family members, teachers and In addition to the financial benefits, the other school staff. Additionally, the Season of Champions cities were exposed to a national TV au- events generated significant legacy funding As part of the agreement, the CCA’s ‘For dience on TSN and RDS that featured for the local host committees and CCA The Love of Curling’ programme, which 330 hours of live broadcast coverage, MAs through initiatives such as volunteer raises funds for junior curling and curling with a cumulative Canadian audience of -supported ticket sales and 50/50 fund- centres across the country, will be the more than 14.8 million over the season. raising efforts. Those funds are used to charity of choice for CCA Rocks & Rings. As well, the volunteer base of more than continue the growth of curling across the 4,100 for the events will continue to pay Rocks & Rings was introduced in 2009, country. and since then, it has visited nearly 5,000 dividends. Each community now has a The 2013-14 Season of Champions sold schools with nearly 700,000 participants. larger core of trained volunteers, through approximately 405,000 tickets to all of The programme uses curling equipment the professional development and guid- their events. that has been adapted to gymnasium sur- ance many of them received through the faces, but closely simulates on-ice condi- Furthermore, The Ford World Women’s CCA, making them valuable for future Curling Championship 2014 in Saint John events in their respective communities.

Hong Kong welcomed me as part of their official inauguration into the WCF in October (pictured left). We were joined by 40 distinguished guests from various National Sports Associations, societies, sports clubs and educational institutions. During this event, Hong Kong Curling Association President, John Li, shared his dream of bring- ing curling to Hong Kong and described his activities over the past seven months to make that dream a reality. He also outlined his targets for curling in Hong Kong over the coming decade. The Hong Kong Curling Association Executive Committee hosted a dinner where I met and talked with representatives of the three newly formed curling clubs in Hong Kong. Photo: Hong Kong Curling Association

Kinross Curling Trust in Scotland was the first to make use of the WCF’s ‘Green Facility initiative’ which offers interest free loans of up to $100,000 USD or 50% of the costs involved in the project, to MAs who are seeking to improve the energy efficiency of an existing curling facility. Kinross will be using the loan to upgrade lighting as well as install a new refrigeration plant and heat recovery system, dehumidification system, control system and make changes to the roof. For more info visit: http://wcf.co/1BPK9pu In September, The Swedish Curling Association elected Michael Marklund (pictured right) as President of the Association and President of the Board. Leif Öh- man was elected Deputy President while others elected to the Board included

Anette Norberg and Per Forsberg. Sebastian Kraupp and Gert Erlandsson will substitute for Michael Marklund Photo: Swedish any of them if required. For more info visit: http://wcf.co/1DFDdzW Curling Association December 2014 Newsletter Event Bidding Page 10 Please find below an up to date record of the event bids we have received and those we are still looking for. If you are interested in hosting any WCF events, please contact [email protected].

Competitions 2015/2016 2016/2017 2017/2018 2018/2019 2019/2020 WCF can award whenever a suitable bid is received White cells = awarded; blue cells = contract offered; yellow cells = require bids

European Mixed (EMCC) + 12-19 Sep 2015 15-22 Oct 2016 14-21 Oct 2017 13-20 Oct 2018 12-19 Oct 2019 (becomes) World Mixed (WMxCC) (one bid received) (Proposed dates) (Proposed dates) (Proposed dates) (Proposed dates)

2-9 Apr 2016 (Proposed European “C” Curling Championships 12-17 Oct 2015 31 Mar - 7 Apr 2018 30 Mar - 6 Apr 2019 28 Mar - 4 Apr 2020 dates) + 1-8 Apr 2017 (ECC-C) (contract offered) (Proposed dates) (Proposed dates) (Proposed dates) (Proposed Dates)

World Wheelchair Curling Qualification 7-12 Nov 2015 29 Oct-3 Nov 2016 28 Oct-2 Nov 2017 27 Oct-1 Nov 2018 26-31 Oct 2019 (WWhCQ) Lohja, FIN (Proposed dates) (Proposed dates) (Proposed dates) (Proposed dates) Pacific-Asia Curling Championships 7-14 Nov 2015 5-12 Nov 2016 4-11 Nov 2017 3-10 Nov 2018 2-9 Nov 2019 (PACC) (contract offered) (Proposed dates) (Proposed dates) (Proposed dates) (Proposed dates

18-26 Nov 2016 17-25 Nov 2017 Le Gruyere European Championships 20-28 Nov 2015 16-24 Nov 2018 15-23 Nov 2019 (Proposed dates) (Proposed dates) (ECC-A & B) Esbjerg, DEN (Proposed dates) (Proposed dates) Braehead, SCO (one bid received)

WCF Olympic Qualification Event 5-10 Dec 2017 X X X X (OQE) (Proposed dates)

WJBCC WJBCC WJBCC European Junior Challenge (EJCC) + 3-9 Jan 2016 WJBCC 3-9 Jan 2017 3-9 Jan 2018 3-9 Jan 2018 3-9 Jan 2020 (becomes) World Junior-B (WJBCC) Lohja, FIN (Proposed dates) (Proposed dates) (Proposed dates) (Proposed dates) 29 Jan-8 Feb 2017 World University Games (WUG) X X FISU Decision X Almaty, KAZ 12-21 February 2016 Youth (YOG) X X X IOC Decision Lillehammer, NOR 2-8 Mar 2019 29 Feb - 6 Mar 2020 World Wheelchair Championship 22-28 Feb 2016 4-11 Mar 2017 None in (proposed dates) (proposed dates) (WWhCC) (one bid received) PyeongChang, KOR Paralympic Year Stirling, SCO (one bid received) 9-25 Feb 2018 Olympic Winter Games (OG) X X X X PyeongChang, KOR 3-11 Mar 2018 5-13 March 2016 16-26 Feb 2017 18-27 Feb 2019 14-23 Feb 2020 World Junior Championships (WJCC) (Proposed dates) (one bid received) PyeongChang, KOR (Proposed dates) (Proposed dates) Aberdeen, SCO 9-18 Mar 2018 Paralympic Winter Games (PWG) X X X X PyeongChang, KOR 14-22 Mar 2020 17-25 Mar 2018 15-24 Mar 2019 World Women's Championship 19-27 Mar 2016 18-26 Mar 2017 (Proposed dates) (Proposed dates) (proposed dates) (WWCC) Swift Current, CAN (contract offered) CANADA CANADA Esbjerg, DEN (subject to contract) 30 Mar - 7 Apr 2019 31 Mar-8 Apr 2018 28 Mar - 5 Apr 2020 2-10 April 2016 1-9 Apr 2017 (Proposed dates) World Men's Championship (WMCC) (Proposed dates) (proposed dates) Basel, SUI CANADA CANADA (contract offered) Glasgow, SCO (subject to contract)

9 – 16 Apr 2016 14-21 Apr 2018 15-22 Apr 2017 If combined with (if combined with (Proposed dates) If combined with (if combined with WMDCC 27 Apr - 4 World Senior Championships (WSCC) WMDCC 16 – 23 Apr (If combined with WMDCC 18-25 Apr WMDCC 22-29 Apr May 2019 2016) WMDCC 21-28 Apr 2020 (Proposed dates) 2017) (Proposed dates) (one bid received) 2018 - Proposed dates)

23-30 Apr 2017 23 – 30 Apr 2016 (if combined with 28 Apr-5 May 2018 (Proposed dates) If combined with If combined with WSCC World Mixed Doubles Curling Champi- (if combined with WSCC 22-29 Apr 2017) (if combined with WSCC 27 Apr - 4 May 18-25 Apr 2020 onship (WMDCC) WSCC 16 – 23 Apr If MD in the Olympics, 2016) then WMDCC (or WSCC 21-28 Apr 2018 2019 (Proposed dates) (Proposed dates) (one bid received) exhibition) will be played - Proposed dates) with the WJCC

Easter 25-28 Mar 2016 14-17 Apr 2017 30 Mar-2 Apr 2018 19-22 Apr 2019 10-13 Apr 2020 World Curling President’s Roundup Over the past few months I have also attended several meetings around the world. Fe dera tio n In September I travelled to the IOC Programme Commission meetings in Lausanne, Swit- 74 Tay Street zerland, where we were presented with the TV figures from Sochi. Perth PH2 8NP Later in September, I hosted Rene Fasel, the President of International Ice Hockey Federa- United Kingdom tion and Alexander Zhukov, President of the Russian Olympic Committee during the Phone: (44) 1738 451 630 Ryder Cup in Scotland. Fax: (44) 1738 451 641 Email: [email protected] I left for Beijing in October to sign off on their bid for the 2022 Olympic and Paralympics Winter Games and on my return I travelled back to Lausanne together with Colin to Facebook: worldcurlingfederation attend the International Federations (IF) Forum in November. Whilst there, we held our Google+: gplus.to/ annual meeting with our Association of International Olympic Winter Sports Federations worldcurlingfederation Youtube: WorldCurlingTV (AIOWF) colleagues and discussed PyeongChang 2018, the IOC 2020 Agenda and repre- Twitter: @worldcurling sentation within Sports Committees. Instagram: @worldcurling Linkedin: world-curling-federation In December, Colin and I were on the road again, this time to Monaco, for the Interna- tional Olympic Committee Session to attend the IOC’s 2020 agenda. Shortly after returning we held Board meetings in Perth, Scotland which focused on for- Follow us ward planning and Board governance amongst other issues discussed over two days.

Deadlines The World Curling Federation has the following upcoming deadlines:  World Wheelchair Curling Championship 2015 team paperwork: 31 Dec 2014  Adult Curling Camp (Bratislava, Slovakia) Registration : 10 Jan 2015

Next Edition Our next newsletter will be published in May. We’re looking forward to updating you with all of our activity from the next five months as our World Championship season gets into full swing with the following events: European Junior Curling Challenge 2015 Prague, Czech Republic 3-9 Jan Pacific-Asia Junior Curling Championships 2015 Naseby, New Zealand 17-24 Jan Americas Challenge (USA v Brazil) Blaine, USA 30 Jan-1 Feb 27th Winter Universiade Granada, Spain 4-14 Feb World Wheelchair Curling Championship 2015 Lohja, Finland 7-13 Feb World Junior Curling Championship 2015 Tallinn, Estonia 28 Feb-8 Mar

Visit our website: World Women’s Curling Championship 205 Sapporo, Japan 14-22 Mar www.worldcurling.org Ford World Men’s Curling Championship 2015 Halifax, Canada 28 Mar-5Apr World Mixed Doubles Curling Championship 2015 Sochi, Russia 18-25 Apr World Senior Curling Championships 2015 Sochi, Russia 18-25 Apr I look forward to meeting many of you at these championships around the world and wish all of the teams competing in these events good luck and good curling. Looking ahead, if you wish to share any suggestions, news or information in our next newsletter, please contact [email protected] no later than April 30, 2015. Finally, I would like to wish everyone festive greetings and a happy new year. Yours in curling,