Achi news desk-
The Lethbridge Curling Club is seeking the city’s support to bid for the 2026 women’s curling championships called The Scotties: Tournament of Hearts.
According to Kirk Mearns, general manager of the Lethbridge Curling Club, this type of event is next to the best thing Lethbridge could have.
“We’ll never have a Gray Cup, we’ll never have the Stanley Cup playoffs here, but we can host the biggest curling championships in Canada with a global audience. So, it’s a real feather in the cap for Lethbridge,” said Mearns.
The curling club teamed up with Opportunity Lethbridge to request funding from the city. They are hopeful that they will get the help they need.
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“The support we get from the city, especially from Mayor Blaine Hyggen and the council who recognize the importance of sport in the community and go above and beyond to make sure we at the forefront of that,” said Mearns.
Tourism Lethbridge says the economic benefit of major events is huge for the city.
“Everybody wins, right? Our guests see the majority of that gain,” explained Erin Crane, CEO of Tourism Lethbridge. “But again, the food and drink section is there along with entertainment such as our attractions and our transport. There are so many segments.”
The 2022 Tim Hortons Brier tournament in Lethbridge brought in $19.7 million in economic activity, with 18,500 out-of-town visitors spending $10.8 million on the local economy. The 2022 tournament created 128 jobs and boosted the province’s GDP by $10.3 million.
Crane also says there are long-term and lasting effects from these events.
“The Lethbridge curling club is leading that, but we want others to see that opportunity because we have so much going on here. So, all sports could be looking at this and this is how we build a legacy.”
The event will be held at the Enmax Centre, if approved. The council must discuss the idea of the application in the coming weeks.
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