By Canadian Press

Canadian skip Gushue sounds off on setup at WCF’s Pan Continental championships

Nov 1, 2023 | 10:23 AM

Canada skip Brad Gushue says he doesn’t blame TSN for dropping television coverage of the Pan Continental Curling Championships.

He says the broadcasting situation is one of many issues he has with the World Curling Federation event that has left him questioning whether he’d play in the competition in the future.

Gushue says the WCF production value is quite poor and is nowhere near what’s typically seen at a national or world championship.

The event, which serves as a world championship qualifier for countries outside Europe, is being held in a curling club in Kelowna, B.C., instead of a traditional arena setting.

Gushue, who won Olympic gold in 2006 and world gold in 2017, also says men’s and women’s curlers have been forced to share locker-room space, warm up outdoors for games and are unable to watch practice sessions.

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In a statement, a TSN spokesperson says “ongoing technical and feed issues” resulted in the network moving the event to a streaming-only option via its website and app.

A WCF spokesperson says all media partners were informed the federation was aiming for a digital-first production to make coverage financially sustainable, adding TSN’s coverage adjustment “is an internal matter” for the network.

As for curler complaints, the WCF spokesman says the federation will examine successes and challenges once the event is completed to evaluate whether a curling club venue is “a viable model” for future championships of this size.

Play continues through Saturday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 1, 2023.

Follow @GregoryStrongCP on X.

The Canadian Press