Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling Slides into Pictou County for KIOTI Tractor Tour Challenge, Nov. 5-10

Oct 30, 2019

– Live TV and streaming coverage begins Thursday, Nov. 7 on Sportsnet & Sportsnet NOW –

TORONTO (October 30, 2019) Nova Scotia will be at the centre of the curling world as the KIOTI Tractor Tour Challenge – the second event of the 2019-20 Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling season – takes over Pictou County, Nov. 5-10. Exclusive TV and streaming coverage of the premier curling event begins Thursday, Nov. 7 at 11 a.m. ET / 8 a.m. PT on Sportsnet and Sportsnet NOW.

Getting underway at the Pictou County Wellness Centre on Tuesday, the Tour Challenge will shine the spotlight on 31 top men’s and 31 elite women’s teams from around the world, with the 62 teams divided into Tier I and Tier II tournaments. Teams set to compete in the Tier I include: 11-time Grand Slam champion Team Gushue (St. John’s), reigning Olympic gold medallists Team Hasselborg (Sundbyberg, SWE), 2019 Pinty’s Cup champion Team Koe (Calgary), and defending Tour Challenge winners Team Homan (Ottawa) and Team Jacobs (Sault Ste. Marie, ON)

In the neighbouring rink, Tier II competition will feature a number of local squads, including: Team Arsenault (Halifax), Team Birt (Charlottetown), Team Brothers (Halifax), Team Crawford (Saint John, NB), Team Glynn (St. John’s), Team Hilliard (Halifax), Team Murphy (Halifax), Team G. Smith (St. John’s), Team Stevens (Halifax), Team K. Thompson (Halifax), and Team S. Thompson (Dartmouth, NS).

All participating teams will compete in a round-robin style bonspiel, contending for a combined $300,000 purse and a berth in the Humpty’s Champions Cup, the final Grand Slam event of the season. Full broadcast schedule and complete team lists are attached.

Sportsnet Broadcast Team

Live from the heart of the action, Sportsnet’s expert curling commentators are set to deliver exclusive insight and analysts from Pictou County. Veteran play-by-play announcer Rob Faulds will be joined in the booth by celebrated Canadian Olympic medallists and curling analysts, Kevin Martin, Mike Harris, and Joan McCusker.

Pinty’s Cup

The race for the 2019-20 Pinty’s Cup continues in Pictou County. In the season-long battle between all men’s and women’s squads, teams compete to accumulate points according to their performances at each Grand Slam event. The men and women’s team that collects the highest total of points by the conclusion of the Players’ Championship in April will capture the winners’ share of the $300,000 Rogers Bonus Pool and personalized championship rings to commemorate their win.

Interviews and Media Accreditation

Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling competitors and Sportsnet’s curling commentators are available to discuss the KIOTI Tractor Tour Challenge and 2019-20 Grand Slam season. For interview requests or media accreditation, please contact [email protected]

Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling

Owned and operated by Sportsnet since 2012, the Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling is an elite series of six curling events, which are part of the World Curling Tour and feature the best men’s and women’s teams from across Canada and around the world. In the 2016-17 season, the total prize money for the Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling events increased to $2.1 million. For more events details, please visit the re-designed Grand Slam series website here.

The 2019 Tour Challenge marks the inaugural event for new title sponsor, KIOTI Tractor, a leading Canadian tractor brand for more than 30 years.

Remaining events in the 2019-20 Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling series include:

Boost National – Conception Bay South, NL (Dec. 10-15, 2019 at Conception Bay South Arena)
Meridian Canadian Open – Yorkton, SK (Jan. 14-19, 2020 at Gallagher Centre)
Princess Auto Players’ Championship – Toronto (April 7-12, 2020 at Ryerson’s Mattamy Athletic Centre)
Humpty’s Champions Cup – Olds, AB (April 29-May 3, 2020 at Olds Sportsplex)

About Sportsnet
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