BRANTFORD — The next millionaire may come from the Grand Slam of Curling thanks to a lucrative cash bonus plan rolled out by Sportsnet.
An announcement made Wednesday by both Scott Moore, president of broadcasting at Rogers Media, and Keith Pelley, president of Roger Media, detailed how the stakes for the 2012-13 Grand Slam of Curling just got a lot higher as any men’s team to win all four Grand Slam events in the 2012/13 season will receive a $1-million bonus. If no Grand Slam winner is crowned, the top three men’s teams (based on a points system) will split a $100,000 purse with $50,000 going to first place and $30,000 to the runner-up.
“Sportsnet is committed to growing the Grand Slam of Curling like never before, and the addition of the substantial bonus truly delivers on that promise,” Scott Moore said.
Owned and operated by Sportsnet, the 2012-13 Grand Slam of Curling begins Wednesday in Brantford, ON, with The Rogers Masters, an event featuring 64 teams from around the world competing for a combined purse of $200,000.
“The Grand Slam is a high-performance, world-class series boasting the cream of the crop in international curling, and with these new prizes up for grabs, the competitive rivalry in the series will rise to a whole new level – which is great for curling fans, the athletes, and the sport.”
The four events involved in the bonus plan are The Rogers Masters, The Canadian Open, The National and The Players’ Championship.
BREAKDOWN OF THE BONUSES
Men
1. $1 million bonus for any men’s team that wins all four events*
2. If no Grand Slam winner, the top three men’s teams (based on a points system) will split a $100,000 purse ($50k, $30k 7 $20K)
* Last event will be worth double points
Women
1. $100K bonus for women’s team that wins both events (Nov and April)
2. If no sweep, top three women’s teams (based on a points system) will split a $25,000 purse ($12.5K, $7.5k, $5k)
(Last event will be double points)
Only points accumulated at the four Grand Slam events will count towards the yearend bonus. Points earned at other WCT events will not count.