The 2020 Canad Inns Canadian Mixed Doubles and 2020 Everest Canadian Seniors (both in Portage la Prairie, Man), the 2020 Canadian Under-18 (in Sudbury) and the 2020 Canadian Wheelchair championships (in Boucherville, Que.) were all officially cancelled.
“We didn’t make this decision lightly, but keeping our athletes, volunteers and staff safe was the primary motivation,” Katherine Henderson, Chief Executive Officer of Curling Canada, said in a press release. “We know this has been difficult on athletes who were pursuing their athletic dreams this season. We also know they share our concerns that everyone stays safe in this time of uncertainty and we thank them for their understanding and dedication to our sport and curling fans across Canada.”
The WCF announced Wednesday that the 2020 World Women's Championship was among their scheduled events that were officially cancelled, having been delayed for a month. That means Team Canada's Kerri Einarson – who won the Scotties Tournament of Hearts for the first time in Moose Jaw this past February – will not have a chance to represent the country on the world stage.
In addition, the World Men's, Seniors and Mixed Doubles were also cancelled.
“I know this is a disappointment for the host committees for those events, and I want to thank them for all of their efforts as they prepared to welcome these championships to their cities,” said Henderson. “I’d also like to express our gratitude for the ongoing support and commitment of our marketing partners, who play such a vital role in keeping our sport healthy.”
The cancellation of the season also throws a wrench into the 2022 Olympics in Beijing.
As teams will be unable to earn qualifying points for the Games, the procedure for determining qualifying rinks has been thrown into disarray – the previous two world championships prior to the Olympics would have been used to award points, but with 2020 cancelled, those points are no longer available.
The top seven teams after the 2021 Worlds would qualify for the 2022 Games.
No replacement plan has been put in place as of yet.
There was some interesting and positive news on the Saskatchewan curling front on Thursday, as Team Matt Dunstone announced that Kirk Muyres would be joining the team at second, replacing the departed Catlin Schneider.
Teams skipped by Dunstone and Muyres had emerged as the de facto best two rinks in the province, with Muyres winning the Tankard over Dunstone in 2019 and Dunstone getting revenge in 2019 before putting together a storybook run at the 2020 Brier and falling to eventual champion Brad Gushue in the semifinal.
“Kirk’s experience and success at the third and skip positions make him one of the most well-rounded players in our sport. We’re very excited to see how he becomes one of the best seconds in the world,” Dunstone said on Facebook. “I am most looking forward to chasing down a Brier gold for Saskatchewan and also our collective dream of becoming Team Canada at the Olympics with Kirk onboard!”
Muyres joins lead Dustin Kidby and third Braeden Moskowy on the Regina Highland foursome.
“I can’t wait to start this next chapter of my career with Matt, Braeden and Dustin,” Muyres said on Facebook. “This team has shown they can play and win in the big moments, while competing with consistency against the very best teams in the world. The goal has always been to win the Brier and Olympic Gold for Saskatchewan and I believe this group has the tools to do it. I am excited to bring my experience as a third and skip to help this team excel in any way I can."
