“Events like this are very important to our community … and we want more,” the words of Robert Kawamoto, Assistant Director of Major Events and Sports at Ottawa Tourism, as he watched Wednesday evening’s round-robin session at the TD place.

In fact, early informal Curling Canada calculations estimate that the economic impact of this event will be around the $CAD 10m-12m mark, a significant local boost by any measure.

Ottawa Tourism are doing their own calculations too, and Robert says, “Our calculator factors in number of room nights, number of out-of-town visitors, length of stay and other elements, including longer visitor stays, so more opportunity for spending.

“That’s why international events are really attractive to destinations like ours, because that visitor is staying longer. Not only is the event over a nine-day period, but they’re coming pre- and post-event. They’ve travelled so long they might stay a couple of extra days, to visit family, etc.”

So, how does an organisation like Ottawa Tourism decide its level of support for an event like this?

Robert explains, “We have a formula – a calculator – that we use to review proposals to determine the value to the community and our common goals. Where we are strongly aligned, we make co-investments with event organizers to help ensure a successful event.”

And in supporting and hosting big events, Ottawa Tourism believe the community is playing to its strengths.

Robert says, “The thing about Ottawa being the nation’s capital, you get that whole experience of Canada in one city. You get a flavour of our government, our museums, our history and who we are as a country.

“We have a population of a million people, and there’s a lot of activities – shopping, restaurant, bars. When you look at TD Place, the venue, it’s been designed specifically for hosting events like this. You can walk to the facilities right around here.”

He adds, “All of our accommodations are best-in-class, and we have an excellent size of a city for activities.”

While the economic impact is what drives Ottawa Tourism’s support, Robert also acknowledges other elements that justify support and make the relationship between the community and the sport ever stronger.

He says, “A community like this is passionate about curling. There are 42 clubs and 4,000 curlers, and that’s significant. That kind of community love for the sport means all types of different people are curling, and the community embraces it all.”

As an example, he cites recent work at the local RA Centre, “The RA Centre just invested in turning a hockey rink into a state-of-the art curling facility. They’ve added accessible state-of-the-art changing rooms for wheelchair curlers.”

Robert adds, “These events are opportunities to showcase how proud everyone is of the sport. But we also have to give thanks to our partners, our venue operators and city partners and the rest. Without that support and passion what we do is a lot harder. This is all a real team effort. With our partners we’re now looking at what we can do in the next ten years.”

During the championship, the teams and many of the officials have been staying at the Fairmont Château Laurier Hotel, and have been welcomed with open arms.

Lori Wagner is Director of Sales & Marketing at the hotel, and she speaks for many local businesses when she says, “We’re very happy to welcome curlers back to our hotel. They have been wonderful to work with so far and we’re very happy to have them staying at the hotel.”

More generally, she adds, “We work closely with Ottawa Tourism on all the sporting events that come into the city. This curling event is a large programme, so it’s having an impact across the city in terms of the number of people who are attending from around the world.”

Speaking about the role her hotel plays, she says, “We’re right in the centre of downtown Ottawa and we know the impact it has on all the restaurants, all the bars, all the stores downtown. We like to be a part of that.”

And it’s not just the teams that are making direct contributions to the local community – every time a fan at the stadium buys a 50/50 ticket, they are making a contribution to local charity and community support programmes.

Brodie Bazinet, Curling Canada’s Foundation and Philanthropic Program Manager, explains how two charities, Curling Canada’s ‘For the Love of Curling’ Foundation and the local Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group Foundation, are gaining direct financial help.

She says, “The Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group owns the lottery licence in this building, and they partner with third-part events like ours and share the proceeds. The regular 50/50 programme and its online version contribute directly to both these charitable foundations.”

Through scholarships and other philanthropic activities, these foundations are reaching out to communities of all sorts.

“Our programme ‘For the Love of Curling’ is focussed on raising awareness and fun to get more kids involved in curling. It also runs some scholarships,” says Brodie, “and the funding is split between supporting education and sports experiences, memberships, physiotherapy, etc.”

With attention turning to indigenous, ethnic and other groups, ‘For the Love of Curling’ and other programmes are certainly widening curling’s reach.

Brodie says, “If we keep doing what we’re doing now, which is focussing on a broader demographic, hopefully the face of our sport will change. If you look at our juniors ten years ago, and look at them now, it’s changed… it’s slow, but it’s happening.”

Brodie also identified a specific programme that is funded directly through funds raised in Ottawa.

“We’re going to run a pilot in the Ottawa area for youth wheelchair curling,” she confirms, “and this will be a direct outcome from the fundraising that’s happening here.”

Engage with the World Curling Federation during the BKT Tires & OK Tire World Men’s Curling Championship 2023 on TikTok, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Weibo and be searching the hashtags #curling #WMCC2023