Fabulous Las Vegas awarded World Men's Curling Championship 2018

The World Men’s Curling Championship will be held in the United States of America for the first time in a decade when it heads to Las Vegas, Nevada in March 2018.

It is the first time a World Curling Federation (WCF) world championship has been held in the ‘live entertainment capital of the world’, however, the city took notice of the sport when 51,215 spectators turned out for the World Financial Group (WFG) Continental Cup, which made its debut there in 2014.

The World Men’s Curling Championship will be held between 31 March and 8 April 2018, immediately after the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang.

The 8,000 seater Orleans Arena, close to the famous Las Vegas strip, will be the venue for the event. The WFG Continental Cup will be held there, once again, in January 2016.

World Curling Federation President, Kate Caithness, said: "We’re delighted to be taking the World Men’s Curling Championship to one of the most recognised cities in the world, in 2018, and back to America for the first time since 2008.

"The WFG Continental Cup in 2014 was a great success and has helped lay the foundations for this Championship. I look forward to working with the local organising committee, USA Curling, our sponsors and partners in the coming years, as we seek to capitalise on the growing interest in curling, not only in Las Vegas but throughout the United States."

The World Men’s Curling Championship is held annually in March/April and is the pinnacle of the men’s curling season. Each year 12 teams have the chance to compete for the title – eight from the European Zone, two from the Americas Zone and two from the Pacific-Asia Zone. In 2018 USA, part of the Americas Zone, will automatically qualify as hosts.

This will be the eighth time USA Curling have held the World Men’s Curling Championship since 1970 (1970, 1976, 1984, 1987, 1989, 2002, 2006, 2008). However, this will be the first time it has been held on the west coast.

The bid for this event is part of a drive to bring more elite sporting competitions and events to the state of Nevada.

"Nevada is quickly becoming a "must attend" destination for the sport of curling", said Jon Killoran, Local Organizing Committee chairman. "We are honored to be chosen to host a prestigious World Men’s Curling Championship on the heels of two WFG Continental Cups in Las Vegas, as well as the 2014 World Curling Congress in Reno-Tahoe".

Rick Patzke, CEO of USA Curling, said: "Just three years ago we were announcing the first major curling event coming to Las Vegas, and now we have the distinct pleasure of partnering again with the World Curling Federation and our friends in Nevada to bring this superb championship to one of the liveliest cities in the world.

"Sandstone may be the official rock of Nevada, but I think the curling stone could soon be in the running for some sort of high-roller status. Yet it’s the athletes working their magic with those stones, and the passionate fans who follow the sport around the globe, who will make this a can’t-miss show in Las Vegas in 2018."

To date, USA have won 14 World Men’s Curling Championship medals (seven Bronze, four Silver and three Gold). Their most recent medal, Bronze, was won at the 2007 World Championships in Edmonton, Canada, by Todd Birr’s team. USA last won Gold in 1978.

Sweden are the current World Men’s curling champions, winning Gold at the Ford World Men’s Curling Championship 2015 in Halifax, Canada back in April. Before the championship in Las Vegas, the 2016 edition of the event will be held in Basel, Switzerland between 2 and 10 April 2016. Canada will hold the 2017 event, with the exact venue still to be confirmed.

For further information, please contact:

Cameron MacAllister

Communications & Media Relations Manager

World Curling Federation

e: media@worldcurling.org

t: +44 (0)7937 604957

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