The World Curling Federation (WCF) announced today that the World Wheelchair Curling Championship 2016 will be hosted by Lucerne in Switzerland between 21 and 28 February 2016 (tentative).
The Championship will be held in Eiszentrum Luzern, a multi-sports venue containing a four sheet curling facility close to Lake Lucerne.
This will be the fourth time that this event has been held in Switzerland, following the World Wheelchair Curling Championships in 2002, 2004 and 2008 which were all held in Sursee.
The latest host award means that Switzerland will now host three World Curling Championship events during the 2015/2016 curling season.
The World Mixed Curling Championship 2015 will be held in the capital, Berne (12-19 September) while the World Men’s Curling Championship 2016 will be held in Basel (2-10 April).
Speaking of this latest host award, WCF President, Kate Caithness, said: “It is certainly going to be an exciting curling season for Switzerland with three World Curling Championship events being held across the country. This World Wheelchair Curling Championship will be a particularly exciting event as, in addition to teams playing for the world title, it is also the second opportunity for them to gain qualification points towards the PyeongChang 2018 Paralympic Winter Games.”
She continued: “With Switzerland’s long association with our sport, they have proven time and time again how successful they are at hosting international curling events and I’m sure that the World Wheelchair Curling Championship 2016 will be no exception. Switzerland is a beautiful country and we are looking forward to welcoming everyone to these championships throughout the season.”
Bruno Schallberger, Chairman of the local organising committee, was also pleased to welcome the event to the city. He said: “We are very proud to host the World Wheelchair Curling Championship once more in Switzerland. It is the fourth time after 2002, 2004 and 2008, that we have organised this prestigious event, together with the Swiss Paraplegic Association and along with a vastly experienced organising committee.”
He added: “This event will help develop the sport of wheelchair curling in Switzerland. I’m certain that the people of Lucerne will offer all visitors an unforgettable experience during their time in the city and we are all extremely excited to welcome everyone to our country!”
The World Wheelchair Curling Championship 2015 is taking place in Lohja, Finland between 7-13 February. More information about that Championship can be found here: http://wwhcc2015.curlingevents.com
The final standings at the 2015 World Championship will determine which teams qualify from that event for the World Wheelchair Curling Championship 2016.
Those teams will join hosts Switzerland and the qualifying teams from the World Wheelchair Curling Qualification event 2015, which is taking place in Lohja, Finland, between 7-12 November, 2015.
Further details about all other WCF events can be found here: www.worldcurling.org/events