The increased interest in curling following Team GB’s success at the Winter Olympics and especially considering local connections is growing further with the Rotary World Curling Championships 2022 to be held at the Dumfries Ice Bowl between 8th and 15th April 2022.
Around 100 Curlers and their partners are set to descend upon Dumfries for the week to experience our town and hospitality. Two competitions will run concurrently, one for the Rotary World title and the other for the Friendship title. The Rotary World Championship dates back nearly fifty years to 1972 with the Friendship event being introduced in 1996. Each country holds its own qualifying competitions to put forward their champions to represent them in the Rotary World Championships, the Ramshead Competition being the qualifier for Scotland. The Friendship Games are open to Rotary Clubs that have previously participated in the main Rotary World Championship event.
This will be the first time that the Championships have been held in Dumfries and will involve Rotarians from Canada, United States of America, England and of course Scotland. It will therefore be a major international event to be held in Dumfries and expands on the excellent reputation curling in Dumfries has for major curling events. Over recent years the Ice Bowl has held significant international events and most recently has included the Scottish Championships which were held in February this year. The significant achievements of our Region’s curlers on the world stage are also recognised with the success of Olympians Vicky Wright, Hammy McMillan, Bobby Lammie, Grant Hardie and Ross Whyte.
Rotary Clubs throughout the south of Scotland are taking a role in the organisation of the World Championships for 2022. It is very much a group effort with the Rotary Clubs of Dumfries Devorgilla, Dumfries, Lockerbie, Thornhill, Dalbeattie, Castle Douglas and Kirkcudbright all involved. Local curlers from the Region will also be well represented with teams from Stranraer, Kirkcudbright, Lockerbie and Dumfries. A number of local companies have also gratefully provided sponsorship and there will also be a donation to Maggie’s Centres.
Our picture shows the Chairman of the organising committee, Bob Carruthers with the World Championship trophy at the Ice Bowl. Bob said “We are really excited to be able to bring this international event to Dumfries. It is not just about curling but also about developing international friendships. There will be a full programme of social events and sightseeing trips planned for partners and non curling friends throughout the week. It will be a great opportunity to showcase Dumfries on a world stage and support the Region after the impact of the pandemic, particularly assisting the hospitality sector. We will be delighted to welcome Rotarians and non Rotarians should they wish to come to the Ice Bowl to watch some of the competition curling and sample the friendly atmosphere of the Championships.”
The Rotary World Curling Championships 2022 is planned for 8th and 15th April 2022 at the Ice Bowl, Dumfries. Please follow our progress on Facebook. Search for @ICurFRDumfries2022.
