MONCTON, February 25, 2008... The local host committee of the 2009 Ford world men's curling championship, today unveiled the event logo and announced that full event passes will go on sale, March 15, 2008 at 9:00 am at the Moncton Coliseum.

The 2009 event will be staged April 4-12 at the Coliseum, which was also the site of several previous curling championships, including a memorable 1985 Labatt Brier and the 1980 Air Canada Silver Broom.

Chairman Jim Lockyer described the significance of the different aspects of the logo. "We chose the curling stone because it's one of, if not the most recognizable icon in curling. The red and blue colors were used because these are the colors most often associated with the curling rings. The accent of a gold swoosh speaks to the high quality of the event. The "motion" of the rock graphic depicts a positive, uplifting feeling, which is an accurate representation of the spirit of Moncton. The star indicates something special - a celebratory event. It also represents the special spark that the people of Moncton have with their energy and enthusiasm and is representative of our heritage in southeastern New Brunswick. And of course, the "50" highlights the celebration of 50 years of World Curling Championships, from 1959 – 2009! It takes a special place in the curling world to celebrate 50 years of world championship curling. In Moncton, the world will rock!

Full Event passes go on sale Saturday, March 15 at 9:00 am. Gold level seating is $400 for the week, silver level passes are $300 and bronze seating is priced at $250 for the full event pass. Tickets can be purchased in person at the Moncton Coliseum box office, by phone 506-857-4100 or 1-888-720-5600 or online at www.tickets.moncton.ca.

The Media Conference was an entertaining affair. The flare of curling and the flare of Moncton and New Brunswick were well represented, with local bagpiper Scott Murray welcoming guests in an atmosphere that is much associated with curling, and Lucien, New Brunswick's Blue-Collar Philosopher, showcasing his unique rendition of how Moncton and curling will co-exist for 10 days, in a way that only "Lucien" can.

Moncton's Russ Howard and Quebec's Guy Hemmings were introduced as the Event Ambassadors and were the target of Lucien's Acadian humour! Howard is the face of curling for the non-curler in the region, and is well known as a former Canadian and World Champion, and current Olympic Gold Medalist. Hemmings so endeared himself to all Canadian curlers as skip of Quebec at the Brier in 1998, 1999, 2001 and 2003 that the Canadian Curling Association capitalized on his popularity by launching the Guy Hemmings Rockin' the House Tour to promote the sport. Hemmings is a great ambassador for curling and his love and passion for the game shine through in his presentations.

The Moncton Host committee is thrilled to have Russ and Guy as our ambassadors.

"The World Curling Federation is extremely pleased to be celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Ford Men's World Curling Championships in Moncton next year" said WCF President Les Harrison. This championship will also showcase many teams that will be participating in the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics. Spectators have the chance to pick the best seats early and show support for this world class curling extravaganza that will also have an excellent entertainment package included for all ticket holders. In addition, the WCF Executive Board and Annual General Meetings will be conducted here during the week."

The first world men's curling championship in 1959 in Scotland was won by Canada's Ernie Richardson team from Regina with a perfect 5-0 record, a performance they repeated the following year. He would go on to win the 1962 and 1963 Scotch Cups as well, both in Perth, to become the only male skip to win four world titles.

Moncton's Al Forsythe, President of the Canadian Curling Association (CCA), was unable to attend today, but sent his accolades for Moncton and the host committee. "Moncton has such a rich history of successfully hosting major events and with the committee that chairman Jim Lockyer has put together, the 2009 Ford World Men's Curling Championship will definitely continue this trend. The whole community will want to be a part of this event, as volunteers, spectators, sponsors and partners".

This will mark the third time that New Brunswick has hosted a world curling championship. In addition to the 1980 Air Canada Silver Broom in Moncton, the 1999 Ford world men's and women's curling championships were hosted by Saint John. This is the 19th time Canada has staged this event.

Canada has won a leading 30 men's world curling championships since 1959. Sweden is next with five, followed by Scotland and the United States with four each. Edmonton established an attendance record for a men's only event, 184,970, in 2007.

Norway's Eigil Ramsfjell (15) holds the men's record for the most world curling championship appearances, 15 and the most games won by a skip (63). In addition to Ernie Richardson, Arnold and Garnet Richardson and Randy Ferbey are the only other four-time winners. Ferbey skipped Canada to victory on three occasions (2002, 2003 and 2005) and also played third for Pat Ryan in 1989.

The 2008 Ford world women's championship is in Vernon, British Columbia, March 22-30 while the men's world championship will be in Grand Forks, North Dakota, April 5-13.

For further information:

Contact: Lynn MacKenzie
Event Coordinator
2009 Ford World Men's Curling Championship
Ph: (506) 854-2009
Fax: (506) 855-7237 e-mail: lmackenzie@curling.ca