Nova Scotia to host Olympic curling qualifiers in 2025

Curlers and volunteers in Halifax, Liverpool and Wolfville rejoiced as the province announced Wednesday that all Olympic qualifiers will take place in Nova Scotia in 2025.

“What a great, awesome story that Nova Scotia is going to send off all of the curlers representing Canada to the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics,” says Rob Belliveau, president of Nova Scotia Curling Association. The Winter Olympics are set to take place in Italy in February 2026.

The 2025 Canadian mixed double trials will take place in December 2024 at the Queens Place Emera Centre in Liverpool. The Canadian curling pre-trials will then take place in October 2025 at the Andrew H. McCain arena at Wolfville’s Acadia University.

Finally, the curling trials that will send off all Canadian curling Olympians are coming back to Halifax’s Scotiabank Centre in November 2025.

At a press conference held at the Scotiabank Centre, a crowd of organizers and curlers from across the province gathered to celebrate the news.

Present to mark the occasion were Premier Tim Houston and Newfoundland Olympic gold medallist Brad Gushue. Both said they were happy that every 2026 curling Olympian will have to pass through Nova Scotia and enjoy the province’s hospitality.

“We curlers are in for a great show because you do such a great job,” said Gushue of curling volunteers.

The projected social and economic benefits of the events added to the jubilant mood.

“We recognize it is going to be a financial contribution that these events are going to bring to the province, but just as important are the social benefits that these events will bring,” says Hugh Avery, former Curling Canada board chair.

When asked about costs and benefits to Wolfville, Acadia University representative Scott Duguay said, “It’s the economic benefit that will come to the region that expands out of Wolfville, with early estimates in the $2 million range. It’s a fairly strong impact.”

With about 100 volunteers required per event, there is plenty of room for community engagement.

“I’m particularly excited about the one being hosted at Acadia,” said Nancy Belliveau, co-ordinator of Glooscap Curling Club, near Wolfville. “I’m going to try to get all my juniors involved, volunteering. They always have roles for juniors where they can parade people onto the ice.”

The Nova Scotia Curling Association intends to use these qualifiers as an opportunity to expand the reach of the sport.

“We can accommodate so many ends of the spectrum of our world with curling, let’s use this as a catalyst to do that,” said Rob Belliveau, before making an announcement of his own.

“We have established a new partnership with our local Indigenous communities that will create and deliver a customized education program introducing curling into all Indigenous community centres next year.”