The LGT World Women's Curling Championship 2021 scheduled to take place from 19–28 March in Schaffhausen, Switzerland has been cancelled following a decision by the Swiss Local Health Authority not to support the event.
The World Curling Federation and the event's Local Organising Committee were informed that due to the current pandemic situation and concerns around the spread of new variants, permission to host an international sporting event will not be granted. This decision was made despite the extensive efforts by the World Curling Federation, the local organisers and Swiss Curling to develop a set of comprehensive safety protocols to deliver a COVID-safe event.
World Curling Federation President, Kate Caithness, said: "Our staff and the local organisers had worked tirelessly to ensure the safety of all our athletes, officials, staff and volunteers working at the event. We are extremely disappointed that the athletes who have worked so hard to compete for a World Championship title will not have that opportunity for the second year in a row due to the cancellation of the event.
"We will be evaluating all the options available to us in order to complete the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games women's team qualification process and do everything we can to ensure that it's carried out on the ice in competition."
Stakeholders and partners are now being consulted to determine the next steps to complete the Olympic Qualification process with a variety of options being investigated, including rescheduling the World Championship or replacing it with an alternative Olympic qualification event. Additionally, discussions will take place surrounding the opportunities for Schaffhausen to host a future World Championship.
The BKT Tires & OK Tire World Men's Curling Championship 2021 and World Mixed Doubles Curling Championship 2021 continue to move forward as planned, with information on the protocols in place for each event to be released in the coming weeks.
Engage with the World Curling Federation on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Weibo and by searching the hashtag #OurHouse #curling
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