KAMLOOPS, February 7, 2008…The Strauss Canada Cup, which has been held in Kamloops since its inception in 2003, will find a new home next year.

The unique event has attracted some of the world’s best men’s and women’s fields in its short history, and has been won by such champion curlers as Randy Ferbey, Kevin Martin and Colleen Jones.
 
“We have had a tremendous opportunity to host Canada’s and the world's best curlers for the past six years," said Host Committee chair Norm Daley.  “We trust that future venues will enjoy watching and supporting the kind of exceptional talent that this event annually attracts.”

“Given that we, as a committee, along with the city of Kamloops, have also made a proposal to stage the 2009 Tim Hortons Canadian Curling Trials, it would be impossible to hold both events within nine months in our city.  We are guardedly optimistic about our Trials bid, but it was not a situation where we said, if we don’t get the Trials, we don’t want the Strauss Canada Cup again.  We just felt this event has done about as well as it can do here and perhaps it should try to grow elsewhere.”

The Canadian Curling Association expects to make an announcement shortly about the new locale and dates for the 2009 Canada Cup.

A decision on the site and dates for the 2009 Trials, which will determine Canada’s curling teams for the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver, is expected to be made sometime in March.  In addition to Kamloops, Edmonton has also made a bid presentation.

This year’s field for the Strauss Canada Cup, February 27-March 2, is one of the strongest ever and may very well ultimately showcase Canada’s representatives at the 2010 Olympics.

The men’s field includes past Cup winners Randy Ferbey and Kevin Martin, along with reigning world champion Glenn Howard, 2006 Olympic gold medallist Brad Gushue and former world champions Kerry Burtnyk and Jeff Stoughton, while the women’s field lists past Cup winners Shannon Kleibrink, Cathy King and Jennifer Jones, along with reigning world champion, Kelly Scott.

The Strauss Canada Cup is also one of the Trials event qualifiers, equally weighted with the Hearts and the Brier in determining the field for the 2009 Trials or the pre-Trials event.   

In addition to becoming one of 16 men’s and 16 women’s teams eligible for the Trials, the winners of this year’s Strauss Canada Cup will also be part of Team North America at the 2008 Continental Cup of Curling, slated for December 18-21 in Camrose, Alberta, as well as returning to the 2009 Canada Cup as defending champions.

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