MONCTON – The World Curling Federation (WCF) has announced the Canadian city of Moncton, New Brunswick, as host of the 2009 Ford World Men’s Curling Championship.

The 2009 event will be staged April 4-12 in the 7,000-seat Moncton Coliseum, which was also the site of several previous curling championships, including the 1980 Men’s Worlds, then known as the Air Canada Silver Broom.

“I am very excited and pleased to formally announce that the 2009 Ford World Men’s Curling Championship will be held here in my hometown,” said Les Harrison, President of the World Curling Federation. “It will be a very significant event, since 2009 marks the 50th anniversary of this championship. It will also be the final championship of the season for Member Associations of the WCF to gain points to qualify countries for the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics.

“In addition, the WCF Executive Board and Annual General Meetings will be conducted here during the week. With three local curling clubs providing the nucleus of a large volunteer cast, we look forward to a memorable competition to celebrate this special anniversary.”

Ford of Canada has been the title sponsor of the world curling championships since the first Ford Worlds in Brandon, Manitoba in 1995, when both the men’s and women’s events were held together.

“Our 14-year relationship with the Ford World Men’s Curling Championship has been a rewarding one and Ford of Canada is proud to be the title sponsor of the championship to be held in Moncton in 2009,” said David Greenberg, Vice-President, General Marketing, Ford Motor Company of Canada, Limited.

The world men’s curling championship was held for the first time in 1959 in Scotland, when the famous Ernie Richardson team from Regina represented Canada in a five-game series against Willie Young and his reigning Scottish men’s championship team. Richardson won the first ‘Scotch Cup’, 5-0 and repeated that performance the following year. He would go on to win the 1962 and 1963 Scotch Cups as well, both in Perth, to become the only male skip to win four world titles.

“As a long-time volunteer in the great sport of curling, including being a Vice-President of the organizing committee for the very successful 1980 Silver Broom, it is very exciting for me, now as the Mayor of this city, to have this event return after all these years,” said Lorne Mitton. “I am grateful to the World Curling Federation for making Moncton its choice for 2009.”

This will mark the third time that New Brunswick has hosted a world curling championship. In addition to the 1980 Air Canada Silver Broom in Moncton, which saw Canada’s Rick Folk defeat Norway’s Kristian Soerum 7-6 in the final, the 1999 Ford World Men’s and Women’s Curling Championships were hosted by Saint John. The men’s event was captured by Scotland’s Hammy McMillan, while the women’s championship went to Sweden’s Elisabet Gustafson for a record fourth time.

“We are delighted that Moncton has been named to host the 2009 Ford World Men’s Curling Championship,” said Host Committee president Jim Lockyer. “We are excited about welcoming curlers, spectators and media from around the world to what will be a very successful and important event for Moncton and all of New Brunswick. We believe it will be one of the best world curling championships ever held and will continue this community’s tradition of successfully hosting major world class events.”

Tickets are expected to go on sale in February of 2008 for the 51st edition of the men’s world curling championship, the 19th time that Canada will have staged this event.

Canada has won a leading 30 men's world curling championships since 1959, including the most recent 2007 event hosted in Edmonton. Sweden is next with five, followed by Scotland and the United States with four each.

Norway’s Eigil Ramsfjell holds the men’s record for the most world curling championship appearances at 15 and the most games won by a skip, at 63. In addition to Ernie Richardson, Arnold and Garnet Richardson and Randy Ferbey are the only other four-time winners. Ferbey skipped Canada to victory on three occasions (2002, 2003 and 2005) and also played third for Pat Ryan in 1989.

The 2008 Ford World Women’s Championship is in Vernon, British Columbia, March 22-30 while the Men’s World Championship will be hosted by Grand Forks, North Dakota, April 5-13. The 2009 World Women's Championship will be held in Gangneung, South Korea.