(Nov 10, 2008) -- Canada’s top teams to vie for $170,000 through their performance in curling’s best on best events
TORONTO, November 10, 2008 – Capital One Canada, the World Curling Tour and Insight Sports announced today the introduction of the Capital One Cup, an annual competition which will award a purse totalling $170,000 (CDN) to the top three men’s and women’s teams which record the highest cumulative results during the Capital One Grand Slam of Curling events.
“The Capital One Grand Slam of Curling events are the toughest curling tournaments to win in Canada and the introduction of the Capital One Cup is a great way to reward this nation’s top men’s and women’s teams,” said Ian Cunningham, Chief Operating Officer of Capital One Canada.
The Capital One Cup is a points-based competition that awards each curling team a point value based on their performance during each Capital One Grand Slam of Curling event.
In 2008-09, men will receive Capital One Cup points based on their results in the Masters of Curling, The National, the BDO Classic Canadian Open and the Players’ Championship. Women will receive Capital One Cup points at the Trail Appliance Curling Classic, the Casinos of Winnipeg, the Wayden Transportation Ladies Classic, the Sobeys Slam and the Players’ Championship.
Following the conclusion of the season ending Players’ Championship, the top men’s and women’s teams in the Capital One Cup standings will each receive $50,000 (CDN). The second and third place men’s and women’s squads will each receive $25,000 (CDN) and $10,000 (CDN) respectively.
“The Capital One Cup is a major step forward for curling in Canada,” said reigning World Champion Kevin Martin. “Whichever teams earn the $50,000 first-place prize will absolutely deserve it because of how difficult these tournaments are to win. There are no easy games, and now with $170,000 on the line, they’ve become that much harder.”
“In a short amount of time, Capital One has overwhelmingly demonstrated their commitment to growing and promoting our great sport,” said reigning Women’s World Champion Jennifer Jones. “The Capital One Cup is an exciting initiative for the players and this annual competition should provide some exciting moments for Canadian sport fans.”
The following is an overview of the point system for the Capital One Cup. Following the first seven Capital One Grand Slam of Curling events, the point values are doubled for the Players’ Championship.
Points Breakdown:
First Seven Events:
First Place: 12 Points
Second Place: 9 Points
Third Place: 7 Points
Fifth Place: 5 Points
Non-Playoff Teams: 1 point per preliminary round win
Players Championship:
First Place: 24 Points
Second Place: 18 Points
Third Place: 14 Points
Fifth Place: 10 Points
Non-Playoff Teams: 2 points per preliminary round win
The Capital One Grand Slam of Curling events are closely tied to the Canadian Curling Association's qualifying process for the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver. Through their performance in the Capital One Grand Slam of Curling events, rinks can earn a significant amount of points towards securing a berth at the 2009 Canadian Trials.
About Capital One
Located in Toronto, Ontario, Capital One has offered Canadian consumers a range of competitive MasterCard® credit cards since 1996, when the company first introduced the Platinum MasterCard® in Canada. Capital One Canada is a division of Capital One Bank, a subsidiary of Capital One Financial Corporation of McLean, Virginia (NYSE: COF).
About Insight Sports Ltd.
Insight Sports Ltd. is a leading North American sports media and entertainment company which owns, creates, aggregates and distributes sports and entertainment content across multiple platforms, including broadcast television, events, on-line, mobile, in-arena and video on-demand. Among its event assets, Insight Sports owns and operates the Capital One Grand Slam of Curling (www.worldcurlingtour.com), a series of eight high-profile men’s and women’s events that feature Canada’s deepest and strongest curling fields. |
