Biggest international event to be held in NZ
CURLERS from 13 countries are to converge on Naseby next weekend for the biggest international tournament to be held in New Zealand.
Naseby’s Maniototo Curling International rink will play host to the 2019 world qualification event on January 1823.
Eight men’s and eight women’s national teams will take part in the event which is jointly hosted by the New Zealand Curling Association and the Australian Curling eration.
The top two in each competition will secure remaining spots for their respective 2019 world championships.
New Zealand Curling chairman Sam Inder said the ‘‘repechage’’ nature of the tournament made qualifying for the world championships more
Fed attainable for Kiwi curlers.
‘‘Beforehand, [New Zealand curlers] had to beat other professional teams in Asia which is pretty hard to do.
‘‘Now it’s a great incentive for our teams to get stuck in and have a go.’’
The championships will be in March with the women’s and men’s events in Denmark and Canada respectively.
A strong international field will line up for the world qualifiers alongside some of New Zealand’s young curling talent.
Anton Hood, of Kyeburn, will be fresh off his triumph as part of the New Zealand team which won won the men’s world junior B championships in Finland.
Ender said the event would be a ‘‘windfall’’ for the region.
‘‘With 16 teams here, some of which will be here for two weeks of practice. It’s a big plus for the local community.
‘‘It’s the biggest event we’ve ever housed with teams from around the world including countries we’ve never seen in curling.’’