The world’s most famous national men’s curling championship will be making a return to London, Ont.
In late January, Curling Canada announced that the 2023 Tim Hortons Brier, presented by AGI, will be played March 3-12 at Budweiser Gardens in downtown London.
“Our past events in London have been memorable for so many reasons, so it was a pretty easy decision to return based on the superb bid they submitted,” Katherine Henderson, CEO of Curling Canada, said in a media release. “Budweiser Gardens is a superb building in an ideal location, and we’ve seen repeatedly that London really knows how to put on a show. I can’t wait to be there in 2023!”
London last hosted the Tim Hortons Brier in 2011 when Manitoba’s Jeff Stoughton and his team from Winnipeg hoisted the Brier Tankard after defeating home-province hopeful Team Glenn Howard in the gold-medal game.
“The 2011 Brier is forever remembered as one of the most memorable times in the history of our city,” said London Mayor Ed Holder. “Our community rallied around that event and came together as we welcomed curling fans from across Canada to London and showcased our great city. As remarkable as that event was, I have no doubt the 2023 Tim Hortons Brier will be even better as London sets a new gold standard for host city excellence.”
The 9,000-seat Budweiser Gardens also played host to that 2011 Tim Hortons Brier in addition to the 2006 Scotties Tournament of Hearts. It will be the third time the Canadian men’s championship has been contested in London; the 1974 Macdonald Brier, won by Alberta’s Hec Gervais, was played at the old London Gardens.
London’s history with major curling events is a rich one; the city has hosted highly successful editions of the Continental Cup of Curling in 2020 and 2018, as well as the 1981 World Men’s Championship.
The winner of the 2023 Tim Hortons Brier will represent Canada a month later at the World Men’s Curling Championship April 1-9 in a Canadian city to be named later this year. Additionally, the winning team will return to defend its title as Team Canada at the 2024 Tim Hortons Brier.
“We couldn’t be prouder to welcome the Tim Hortons Brier back to London in 2023,” said Peter Inch, who, along with Ted Smith and Ken Schofield, will serve as London host committee vice-chairs. “Thank you to Tourism London for all their work and support with the bid. We now have a lot of hard work in front of us to get ready, but we have a dedicated
group of volunteers who know the ropes, and we are going to do what it takes to put on a great show.”
Full event ticket packages went on sale March 8. Volunteer opportunities will be available later this year. Go to curling.ca/volunteer to sign up to receive updates on volunteering for the 2023 Tim Hortons Brier.
Since 1927, the Brier has been played in 32 cities across Canada, from Victoria to St. John’s. Teams from Alberta have won 29 times, followed by Manitoba with 27 titles.
TSN/RDS2, the official broadcast partner of Curling Canada’s Season of Champions, will televise all of the Brier action from London in 2023.
Submitted by Tourism London
