CURLING – Highland International Week hits the ice in Inverness
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INVERNESS is set to welcome top curlers from across the world as they get ready to slide into action this weekend.
The 56th Highland Week of International Curling will hit the ice at the Inverness Ice Centre on Sunday.
More than 120 people from Europe and North America will be taking part in the annual competition which will take place over the course of six days.
A round robin stage will take place between Sunday and Wednesday, with the semi finals taking place on Thursday and the final is scheduled for Friday.
Gavin Nicol from Forres is the defending champion skipper from 2022 and it is confirmed that he will be returning this year to defend his title.
Three-time winner Andreas Flammer from Switzerland, who lifted the trophy in 2018, 2019 and 2020, is also returning to the competition this year as he looks to win his fourth title as skipper.
The opening ceremony is set to take place at Inverness Ice Centre on Sunday at 10.30am with curling action from 11am.
Curling fans are encouraged to watch the action at the Inverness Ice Centre throughout the week.
HWIC secretary Brenda MacIntyre says the competition is a huge event on the Scottish curling calendar.
She is expecting an exciting week of action on the ice.
“The format of the competition will involve three sections of 10 teams,” she said.
“Teams will receive three points for a win and one for draw.
“Teams will then go into another section depending on their results followed by the semi final on Thursday and final on Friday.
“Each team will have a minimum of seven matches during the tournament.”
She added: “Supporters are encouraged to come to the Inverness Ice Centre throughout the week and cheer on the teams during the tournament.”
