Curling Canada – Canada’s best women’s curling teams are heading to the sunny Okanagan region of British Columbia for the 2018 Scotties Tournament of Hearts.

The Canadian Women’s Curling Championship is scheduled for Jan. 27-Feb. 4 at the South Okanagan Events Centre in Penticton, B.C.

For media requiring credentials, please apply on-line at www.curling.ca/championships/media-accreditation-request-form/, by no later than Jan. 22, 2018. A week or so before the event, you will be sent a confirmation letter outlining the on-site accreditation procedures.

Those requesting credentials must also email a high-resolution mugshot of themselves to media@curling.ca to make the on-site accreditation process easier.

Please note: On-ice photographers will be required to wear black clothing and shoes and restrict themselves to designated shooting areas during the games. There will be no exceptions to this guideline.

A limited number of rooms at the Penticton Lakeside Resort and Conference Centre is being held at a rate of $120 plus taxes per night for media looking for accommodation during the 2018 Scotties Tournament of Hearts. Those needing accommodation need to book their rooms quickly as space is limited. Contact Scotties Tournament of Hearts event manager Neil Houston at nhouston@curling.ca to arrange for accommodation.

It will be the first Scotties Tournament of Hearts played with a 16-team, two-pool format, which is being introduced at this season’s Scotties and Tim Hortons Brier. The champions of Curling Canada’s 14 Member Associations will be joined by Team Canada’s Michelle Englot in the field. Winnipeg’s Team Englot, who finished second in the 2017 Scotties Tournament of Hearts in St. Catharines, Ont., assumes the position of Team Canada after 2017 champion Rachel Homan won gold at the 2017 Tim Hortons Roar of the Rings in Ottawa to earn the right to play at the Winter Olympics.

The 16th team will be decided in the wild-card play-in game on Friday, Jan. 26, at the South Okanagan Events Centre between the two highest-ranked teams on the Canadian Team Ranking System who didn’t qualify out of their provincial/territorial championships.

The winner in Penticton not only will have the prestige of being a Canadian champion, it will go on to represent Canada at the 2018 Ford World Women’s Championship March 17-25 in North Bay, Ont., in addition to qualifying for the 2019 World Financial Group Continental Cup (dates, location TBA). As well, the winning team will be Team Canada at the 2019 Scotties Tournament of Hearts in Sydney, N.S.

For ticket and other event information about the 2018 Scotties Tournament of Hearts, visit www.curling.ca/2018scotties/

TSN/TSN2 (RDS2 in French), the exclusive television network for Curling Canada’s Season of Champions, will provide complete coverage of the 2018 Scotties Tournament of Hearts.

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For further information:

Al Cameron
Director, Communication & Media Relations
Curling Canada
(403) 463-5500
acameron@curling.ca