Calgary bubble seems more likely

It's looking more and more likely that a handful of Canada's most important curling events will be played in a bubble format in the hub city of Calgary in 2021.

“I've heard it's a done deal,” one prominent curler said Saturday.

Postmedia first reported the Calgary bubble concept on Oct. 21. The plan is to hold several big events, including the Tim Hortons Brier, Scotties Tournament of Hearts and the world men's championship, without fans, at the WinSport Arena at Calgary Olympic Park, likely starting in February.

The Brier was supposed to be played in Kelowna, B.C., in March, while the Scotties was slated for Thunder Bay, Ont., in February and the men's worlds were to be in Ottawa in April.

However, the COVID-19 pandemic has thrown the entire curling schedule into disarray and Curling Canada has been working on a bubble concept for the last several months.

Calgary makes a lot of sense as Canada Olympic Park is a spacious multi-use facility in the northwest part of the city and it has several hotels nearby.

Curling Canada officials told Postmedia in October that all options are on the table still for the Season of Champions events, including a hub city concept.

Curling Canada's high-performance director, Gerry Peckham, told The Canadian Press in October that the organization is “definitely getting into the deep end of the pool” when it comes to the hub city concept.

“In all honesty, I think that is arguably our final card to play as it relates to our more major events,” he said.

CBC reported Saturday that in addition to the Scotties, Brier and men's worlds, the Canadian mixed doubles championship and two Grand Slam of Curling events would also be played in the Calgary bubble. There was no mention of the Canada Cup, which was supposed to be played later this month in Fredericton, N.B., but has been postponed indefinitely.

The Grand Slam of Curling reduced its cash tour schedule from six events down to four due to the pandemic and postponed the start of the season until April of 2021.

The Players Championships is scheduled for April 13-18 in Toronto and the Champions Cup is slated for April 27-May 2 in Olds, Alta.

Those events could be moved to the Calgary bubble, presumably to be played after the Curling Canada events conclude. The Curling Canada events are televised on TSN, while the Grand Slam is a Sportsnet property.

One source confirmed that the Alberta government has signed off the plan for a Calgary curling bubble and Curling Canada is now waiting on approval from Canadian government health officials.