Lethbridge recently hosted the 2022 Time Horton’s Brier, but if the Lethbridge Curling Club has its way, it will soon host another major curling event.
The club is currently putting together a bid to host the 2025 Canadian Olympic curling trials.
General Manager of the curling club, Kirk Mearns, said, «We’re always looking to host major events. And when we look at the vents we haven’t hosted yet the curling trials really stood out. Because it only happens every four years there’s not a lot of places that have it.»
The club’s bid got a big boost after city council decided to support the bid, allocating $900,000 in funding if the bid is successful as well as providing a letter of support.
It was a no-brainer for Mayor Blaine Hyggen.
«The decision to be quite honest was quite easy. When you have previous events of this calibre that have come to the community and you see the economic spinoffs,» Hyggen said.
In 2022, the Brier generated $17 million in economic activity and brought over 18,000 out-of-town visitors to Lethbridge.
Those in the city’s tourism industry see no reason why the Olympic trials can’t provide a similar, if not better result.
«These are the Olympic trials,» said Tourism Lethbridge CEO Erin Crane. «So you know they are slightly different than the Brier.
«One of the major things is that it’s both men’s and women’s. So that opens up a whole set of doors for us.»
The most recent Olympic trials in 2021 in Saskatoon saw an attendance of roughly 107,000 despite dealing with COVID-19 restrictions.
Hosting two major events in the span of just over three years has at least some in the sporting community feel like Lethbridge is ready to establish itself as a marquee destination for hosting national sporting events.
«Having hosted the Brier last year, after a shut down of hosting many events, we were able to prove ourselves that we’re ready and we’re back again to be able to host major events,» said executive director of the Lethbridge Sport Council, Susan Eymann.
Bids to host the Canadian Olympic curling trial must be submitted to Curling Canada by the end of June, with the host city being announced in November.