… to open against USA on November 17

GUYANA will join USA and Brazil at this year’s America’s Challenge, set to take place at the Chaska Curling Center in Chaska, Minnesota, United States from November 15 to 18, which will also serve as a qualifier for the 2019 World Men’s Curling Championship.

This season, America’s Challenge takes place prior to the Pioneer Hi-Bred World Men’s Curling Championship 2019 to decide the second America’s zone qualifier.
The first qualification place from the America’s zone went to Canada, who finished higher than United States at the previous world championship, but who also secured direct qualification as the hosts.

The Pioneer Hi-Bred World Men’s Curling Championship 2019 will be played in the Enmax Centre in Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada from March 30 to April 7.
For the first time, more than one team will challenge United States for the second spot in the World Men’s Curling Championship.

The team in first place after the double round-robin event will qualify for the world championship while the second-place finisher will go to the World Qualification Event 2019 – in Naseby, New Zealand from January 18 to 23.

This year both Brazil and Guyana will challenge United States. T
he first round-robin match-up will be on Friday November 16 when United States skippered by Greg Persinger will face Brazil’s Marcelo Mello.

Rayad Husain, captain of Guyana, will play United States in their first game on Saturday November 17 at 09:00hrs. The winner will then be decided on Sunday, after Guyana would have played Brazil in the last session at 13:00hrs.

Brazil’s women’s team also registered to compete in America’s Challenge but then requested to concede to the United States – the only other participant – allowing Brazil to receive the sole North American spot in the new World Qualification Event.

Formed in May of 2017, the Guyana Curling Federation (GCF), headed by Husain, paved the way for Guyana, for the first time, to venture out to an ‘ice sport’, with the country competing at the 2018 World Mixed Doubles Curling Championship in Östersund, Sweden with considerable success.

The Guyana Curling Federation was established not only to govern and promote the Winter Olympic Sport of Curling to Guyanese both within Guyana and abroad, but also to raise the profile of Winter Sport within the Caribbean region, by working with other similar bodies and organisations.