Curling fans are slowly going bonkers over the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games – don’t forget, tickets are on sale in early October – and of course we then have Sochi, Russia in 2014.
In fact, it was one year ago today that Sochi got the nod from the International Olympic Committee, shocking many observers (including us).
What comes next, in 2018?
Well, PyeongChang, South Korea is bidding again, having lost to both Vancouver and Sochi. In fact, it says here the Koreans will bid over and over and over until they win it. Simple as that.
Munich, Germany will be bidding, and despite the proximity of Sochi to Europe, the Germans are a major threat to win.
Tromso, Norway, is going to bid and 2002 Olympic curling champion skip Pal Trulsen has thrown his support behind the bid. They are first out of the hack with a website; a Facebook page, located here (you must be a Facebook member to view it)… and here’s a cool promotional video… love the big rings located on the mountain facing the main stadium!
And in a clear acknowledgment that a bid will go forward, there is even an official opposition group already online. But of course.
The Americans are interested, but if Chicago wins the race to host the 2014 Summer Games, any Yankee winter hopes – probably centered on Denver, Colorado – are gone.
Meanwhile, the Bulgarians and Serbians are reportedly combining on a joint bid; the French are infighting over bidding on summer or winter; the Swiss (in Geneva) need a referendum to proceed, the Swedes are exploring their options, and even some southern hemisphere locales (like New Zealand) are thinking about it. But not Durban, South Africa, as some had recently believed.
All formal bids are due in January, 2009.
Anything else?
• Once again, the glorious sport of curling was included in many a news outlet’s annual Canada Day Quiz… such as this one here. However, the answer featured a horrendous inaccuracy – can you spot it?
• It was, of course, Canada Day on July 1… and today, on this fourth of July, we say Happy Birthday to our American friends. There is, by the way, lots of curling action going on down south these days:
– Texas Dan recently celebrated 50 years of Frisco curling and also illustrates another 50-year anniversary, in Green Bay, Wisconsin – and you’re telling us curling is located right across the street from this iconic shrine? Are you kidding?!
– San Jose has not one but two open house days scheduled for next week, and at two different locations to boot;
– curling maniac Richard Maskel won a new summer spiel in Port Huron, Michigan… with extra photos located here. The photographer was Keith, by the way;
– New York’s Coach Heidt, a hockey and lacrosse buff, was recently intrigued with curling;
– there are curling stones rarin’ to be tossed at the new Chaparral Ice rink in Austin, Texas;
– how about Indianapolis? Yep, here’s the story (plus video);
– Team Debbie McCormick second Nicole Joraanstad – a 2007 calendar girl – was recently voted Madison Sportswoman of the Year for 2008;
– the Pittsburgh Tropical is going on, like, right now;
– and those loveable tinseltowners in Los Angeles are making news, again… first they were somehow part of a Dodger Stadium pre-game award presentation to pro baseball player Russell Martin; and now CurlTV has finally drawn a bead on them. Their latest funspiel goes tomorrow …
• This silly hockey story caught our eye: specifically the reference to past disputes between Canada’s CBC-TV Sports and the world of curling. We simply love the line “… sparked hundreds of thousands of angry curling fans to threaten a march on CBC headquarters with lit brooms and pitchforks” …
• Here’s an odd little curling cartoon, from Italy:
• Here’s a curling league software package for $79.95; someone tell us if it’s any good …
• Peter dropped by Naseby, New Zealand, and checked out the only dedicated curling facility located in the southern hemisphere of planet Earth. Soon to come is a luge ride (just scroll down a bit) …
• The Winnipeg Brier has raked in a half-million dollars in profit …
• And finally, the Canadian Curling Association was in Prince George, site of the 2000 STOH, for a venue inspection for the 2009 Pre-Trials Qualifier. Story plus photo here, and video here …
