Today (Saturday 14 March 2020), the organisers of the World Curling Federation’s LGT World Men’s Curling Championship 2020 in Glasgow (scheduled for March 28 – April 5, 2020) confirmed that the event has been cancelled, following the latest Scottish Government advice with regard to the hosting of major sports events during the Covid-19 pandemic, and based on the need to protect the resilience of the emergency and public health services.
The event had been scheduled to take place at the Emirates Arena in Glasgow from 28 March to 5 April and was being delivered through a partnership between Glasgow Life, UK Sport, EventScotland (part of VisitScotland’s Events Directorate) and Scottish Curling.
Announcing the cancellation, Billy Garrett, Director of Sport and Events at Glasgow Life said: “When hosting major events, the safety and well-being of everyone involved in the event including athletes, officials, spectators, volunteers and staff is our absolute priority.
“Given the UK Government’s move from the ‘contain’ to the ‘delay’ phase of their coronavirus action plan and the latest advice from the Scottish Government with respect to the hosting of major sports events at this time, it is with great regret that the Local Organising Committee, in conjunction with the World Curling Federation, has agreed to cancel this event in the interest of public health.
“We are extremely disappointed for the athletes, who we know have been training hard and were looking forward to competing in their pinnacle event of the year here in Glasgow, and for the staff and volunteers who have been working tirelessly over the last year to deliver an outstanding Championship.
“We also know from the strong ticket sales for the event that its cancellation will be a huge disappointment to curling fans from home and abroad. However, we believe that in the current unprecedented situation this is the only responsible course of action to take.”
All ticket holders will receive a full refund including booking fee and customers will be contacted by email with details of the process.
World Curling Federation President, Kate Caithness, said: “Following the recent advice from the Scottish Government it is with deep regret that we now must cancel the LGT World Men’s Curling Championship 2020.
“Our first priority is the safety and well-being of our athletes, officials, staff and supporters and this cannot be guaranteed.
“We have been in constant dialogue with the Local Organising Committee, the City of Glasgow and Scottish Curling prior to taking this difficult decision and thank them for their cooperation.
“Finally, my sincere appreciation to our athletes, officials and staff, and to curling supporters around the world for your patience and understanding in this matter.”
With the event now not taking place the World Curling Federation will consider the implications on Olympic qualification and discuss potential changes that will need to be considered with all the relevant stakeholders.
Finally, there is an ongoing evaluation into the World Curling Federation’s World Mixed Doubles, World Senior (both in Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada) and European C-Division (Ljubljana, Slovenia) Curling Championships 2020 to be played in the coming weeks. Communication on these events will be made separately as appropriate.
(https://worldcurling.org/2020/03/wmcc2020-cancelled/)
Statement from Canada’s entry, Team Gushue:
