Grand Slam of Curling returns to Victoria after 10-year absence<\/p>\n
Published 4:20 pm Wednesday, March 11, 2026<\/p>\n
Ten years after Brad Gushue captured the Elite 10 title in Colwood, major international curling is returning to Greater Victoria.<\/p>\n
From Oct. 13-18, the Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre will host the Grand Slam of Curling (GSOC) Invitational.<\/p>\n
A heads up: our Grand Slam of Curling event locations for the 2026-27 season are now live!<\/p>\n
If you want to check us out in person, visit https:\/\/t.co\/avsBYVegyk<\/a> for early-bird offers in all five cities! pic.twitter.com\/vcLzsEdwHG<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Grand Slam of Curling (@grandslamcurl) March 10, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n The Victoria tournament will serve as the kickoff for the five-stop 2026 season.<\/p>\n Keith Wells, executive director of the Greater Victoria Sport Tourism Commission, says this will lay the foundation for hosting more tournaments in the future.<\/p>\n \u201cGreater Victoria has a strong tradition of hosting major curling events, and having the Grand Slam of Curling in the region is a great opportunity for local fans,\u201d Wells said.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are proud to support the event and hope it will lead to more top-tier curling competitions in Victoria in the years ahead.<\/p>\n The event will feature 16 of the top men\u2019s and 16 of the top women\u2019s teams from around the world.<\/p>\n Because top curlers often shuffle rosters and form new teams following an Olympic year, organizers are using an open invite qualification process rather than relying strictly on initial world rankings.<\/p>\n The Grand Slam of Curling will directly invite 12 teams per division. The final four spots will go to the winners of satellite events.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n The Invitational replaces the Tour Challenge in the Grand Slam lineup to align with the new qualification format.<\/p>\n Locally, the Esquimalt Curling Club has partnered with the event and will lead the volunteer committee.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Grand Slam of Curling is making its long overdue return to British Columbia,\u201d said Nic Sulsky, CEO of The Curling Group.<\/p>\n \u201cOn the heels of a captivating Winter Olympic Games, global interest in curling has never been higher. This event will give fans throughout the region a rare opportunity to see the sport\u2019s biggest stars from around the world.\u201d<\/p>\n Tickets for the Victoria tournament are on sale now. <\/a><\/p>\n The 2026 Grand Slam season will also make stops in Medicine Hat, Sydney, Thunder Bay, and Kingston.<\/p>\n READ MORE: PHOTOS: Victoria rivals collide as provincials get underway at Archie Browning<\/a><\/p>\n