C Chamois-Logo-Design: Alfons Walde 1933/VBK Wien DRAW OF EMCC 2008 KITZBÜHEL June 2, 2008 The draw for the European Mixed Curling Championships 2008 at Kitzbühel, Austria, has been finalised. To view the draw please click HERE... THE 1st EUROPEAN SENIORS INVITATION CURLING CHAMPIONSHIP June 1, 2008 As a result of the very successful World Women's and Seniors Championships held in Paisley, Scotland in 2005, the Local Organising Committee were left with a financial surplus to use for curling development in the West of Scotland. The Committee have made two offers of event sponsorship. The first allowed Braehead Curling Rink to hold a very successful International women's event in January 2008. Greenacres Curling Rink, the venue of the World Seniors in 2005 have accepted the second offer and will hold the inaugural European Seniors Invitation event in October this year. Invitations have been issued to all member nations of the European Curling Federation asking, where possible, that they give their men's and women's champion teams from last season the opportunity to take part in this first International competition for Seniors in Europe. In addition to the sponsorship received from the 2005 events, Greenacres are also assisting with some further sponsorship of their own and the package being offered is a most attractive one. There is no doubt that this is an exciting development in Senior curling and we trust that the event will be a great success.  Please note: This is NOT an ECF championship!!! REVISED ECF RULES OF COMPETITION AND SYSTEM OF PLAY FOR ECC AND EMCC May 30, 2008 Competitions ECF Revised Competition Rules Click here for the revised rules of the European Curling Competition Click here for the revised rules of the European Mixed Curling Competition. Systems of Play Having listened to feedback from Member Associations involved in the B section of the European Championships and Member Associations involved in the Mixed European Championships, the Executive Committee of the Federation has amended the Systems of play to reflect the feedback and improve the playing experience for all concerned. Click here for revised Playing System of European Championships. Click here for revised Playing System of Mixed European Championships.   Playing Rule Changes Please pay attention to the new WCF rules that include changes to: Use of the Draw shot Challenge Playoffs for Relegation to a Qualifying competition Cresting- two additional positions Many other  changes Jeanette Johnston Competitions Convenor NEW ECF CRESTING POLICY May 27, 2008 The ECF Executive Board has decided to amend the ECF Cresting Policy in line with the recent amendments of the WCF Cresting Policy adopted at the WCF Annual Meeting in Grand Forks. This means that advertising on the side of the leg is now allowed with immediate effect. The new ECF Cresting Policy has been uploaded to this homepage and can be found HERE (the amendments are marked in bold) EUROPEAN CURLING CHAMPIONSHIPS - SYSTEM OF PLAY May 22, 2008   The Executive Board of the Federation has considered the System of Play for the 2008 Championship and has agreed for this year's Championship only, to make the following change.   In the event of there being more than 20 teams entered in the B Group and three Sections being required the page system will not apply. The following will come into force.   On completion of the Round Robin the top two teams in each section will move forward to a play-off.   The winning Round Robin team from each section will be ranked as 1. 2. or 3.on the Last Draw shot as agreed in Grand Forks to be the new rule.   The second placed Round Robin team from each section  also will be ranked 1. 2. or 3 on the Last Draw Shot as agreed in Grand Forks.   The second team rankings will play off 2 v 3; the winning team will play the 1st ranked team which will decide the team to take the 4th place.   This team becomes the 4th team, joining the section winners already ranked 1. 2. and 3.   The teams ranked 1, 2, 3 and 4  compete as :-  1 x 4 and 2 v 3, winners to the final and losers to the Bronze game.   Where there are less than 20 teams and therefore two sections or less the Page System will apply.   N.B.This system will be applied to the EMCC as it has been agreed to have 3 sections. A final decision will be made when the entry numbers are known. FINNISH CURLING ASSOCIATION CELEBRATES 30TH ANNIVERSARY Helsinki, April 19, 2008 The Finnish Curling Association (FCA) has today celebrated its 30th anniversary at the Ballroom of the Hotel Arthur in Helsinki. The President of the Finnish Curling Association and ECF Executive Board Member, Olli Rissanen, welcomed numerous Finnish top Curlers as well as international guests to this event. The ECF was represented by its Secretary General, Saskia Krügl. In her speech she congratulated FCA to this anniversary and thanked them for being such an active part of European Curling. From left to right: Saskia Krügl (ECF Secretary General), Yrjö Franssila (FCA Executive), Riikka Louhivuori (FCA Vice-President), Olli Rissanen (FCA President), Minna Rissanen, Silver Uustalu (Secretary Estonian Curling Association) and partner EMCC 2008 KITZBÜHEL GOES ONLINE!! C Chamois-Logo-Design: Alfons Walde 1933/VBK Wien April 5, 2008 The Organising Committee of the 2008 European Mixed Curling Championships at Kitzbühel, Austria goes online! All details about the championships, information on Kitzbühel and its hotels (with exceptionally good offers for players and officials) can now be viewed at www.emcc2008.at. ECF VICE-PRESIDENT INSPECTS EMCC 2008 VENUE March 16, 2008     E.C.F. Vice-President, Andrew Ferguson-Smith, recently undertook an inspection visit to Kitzbühel, the venue awarded the organization of the European Mixed Curling Championships 2008.   During his visit, the Vice-President took the opportunity to visit the ice facility, the selected hotels, and the locality itself.   He was able to meet with the Mayor and Vice-Mayor of Kitzbühel, and with other municipal authorities, with the President and the Secretary-General of the Austrian Curling Association, and with the President and members of the Organizing Committee.   At the conclusion of his visit, Mr. Ferguson-Smith made the following remarks:   "For several years now, I have been an enthusiastic participant at the Austrian Open, held annually in Kitzbühel.   For this reason, from the very outset, I had full confidence in Kitzbühel as an ideal venue for the EMCC, which was conceived in part to offer appropriate localities not boasting two full-size ice facilities, the opportunity nevertheless to welcome prestigious international championships.   My visit has enabled me to acquaint myself in much greater detail with the preparations being put in place for the Championship's celebration, and to reconfirm in my mind Kitzbühel´s eminent suitability for this event.   The Championship will be played at Kitzbühel´s recently inaugurated Mercedes-Benz Sportpark, which will offer participants every facility required.   The accommodataion facilities (players hotel, pensions, appartments) recommended for players and officials, will provide participants with a high degree of comfort during their stay, and are located in close proximity to the ice.   The Organizing Committee has been particularly successful in negotiating attractive tariffs.   The town of Kitzbühel, situated amid towering Tyrolean peaks, is absolutely charming, and will undoubtedly cater well for curlers' off-ice hours.   My meetings with the local authorities confirmed that the Organizing Committee enjoys full support not only at municipal, but also at regional and at national level.   The Austrian Curling Association is, of course, happy to provide any assistance requested of it.   Conversations with Mr. Richard Obermoser, Mrs. Traudi Koudelka and Mrs. Veronika Huber of the Organizing Committee, and a most convincing presentation prepared by Ms. Karina Toth on ceremonies and festivities amply demonstrated the attention to detail from which the Championship will benefit.   I am looking forward very much to this event, which I am confident will meet participants' expectations in every way." REGISTRATION FOR EMCC 2008 HAS STARTED March 14, 2008 ECF member nations, that wish to enter a team for the European Mixed Curling Championships 2008 at Kitzbühel, AUT, which will take place from September 22-27, 2008, have now been invited by the ECF Secretariat to do so. Entries will be accepted until April 30, 2008 and the respective entry forms have already been sent out by the ECF Secretariat. EUROPEAN CURLING CHAMPIONSHIPS 2011 January 29, 2008 The city of Sofia (BUL), which has already successfully hosted the World Junior Curling Championships 1994 as well as the European Curling Championships 2004, has reconfirmed its interest in hosting the European Curling Championships in 2011. The successor of the host cities 2008 Örnsköldsvik (SWE), 2009 Aberdeen (SCO) and Champéry (SUI) will be determined during the ECF meetings to be held in December 2008 in Örnsköldsvik, SWE, i.e. three years prior to the event in 2011. Bids to host the ECC 2011 may be presented to the ECF until October 31, 2008 and all ECF member nations are herewith invited to do so. The official ECF bid-guidelines can be obtained directly from the ECF Secretariat.  LE GRUYERE EUROPEAN CURLING CHAMPIONSHIP December 8, 2007 The picturesque Bavarian town of Füssen is an ideal venue for a European Championship. Access from hotels or apartments to the curling rinks is a manageable walking distance in order to work up an appetite for generous portions of delicious Le Gruyère Cheese which was much in evidence throughout this event. It was indeed a pleasure to wander through the “old town” unheeded by traffic and not having one’s eardrums assaulted by unending canned music, but rather to be able to enjoy the sweet refrains of the street musicians’ live music and to enjoy the individuality of small shops and cafes.   The main arena wherein played the A section was bright and welcoming with plenty of atmosphere created by the supporters. The teams on the ice enhanced the colourful spectacle attired in their associations’ colours; although this was not reflected at the closing ceremony when a number of teams could not be bothered to wear the full regulation uniform, showing discourtesy to both the organising committee and the sponsor, Le Gruyère.   The B Ice Hall was somewhat austere in comparison and there were some remarks made regarding the matched quality of the stones and the length of time taken by some teams to complete a game. However, the newer associations were to be commended on the improved shot making abilities which they displayed.   It was a pity that the more vocal supporters were denied the opportunity of facing the winning teams when the medals were presented, no doubt this procedure was dictated by T.V. whose presentation of the sport was superb. Indeed one of the highlights of the week, for those who had the opportunity, was to view the inside of the pantechnicon which houses the unbelievable tangle of wires, levers, monitors and buttons by which the very professional projection of the sport appears on our T.V.’s.   For those who had the time and the stamina, a visit to the Hohenschwangau and Neuschwanstein castles was a must, and the Füssen Hertitage Museum’s display of musical instruments is a reminder of how the musical tradition is still enjoyed in the wonderful Prince’s Hall.   There were certain controversial issues which arose during the championship which will need to be addressed but that should not detract from the Host committee’s hard work, the spectacular display of fireworks and operatic entertainment at the closing banquet, the inspirational play of the teams, the continuing support of the event sponsor Le Gruyère AOC and those who worked quietly behind the scenes.   Congratulations to all the Medal winners, you were a joy to watch, thank you all competing teams and long may the traditional curling spirit prevail.     Men’s “A” Divison Gold Scotland Silver Norway Bronze Denmark   Women’s “A” Division Gold Sweden Silver Scotland Bronze Denmark   Men’s “B” Division Gold * Ireland Silver * Spain Bronze Latvia   Women’s “B” Division Gold * England Silver * Netherlands Bronze France.   * promoted to the “A” Section positions 9and10.   PHOTOGRAPHS Photographic Images Courtesy of Hugh Stewart   LE GRUYERE EUROPEAN CURLING CHAMPIONSHIP Gold Medal Winner Scotland LE GRUYERE EUROPEAN CURLING CHAMPIONSHIPS Gold Medal Winner Sweden LE GRUYERE EUROPEAN CURLING CHAMPIONSHIP Gold Medal winner Ireland LE GRUYERE EUROPEAN CURLING CHAMPIONSHIP Gold Medal Winner England ECF ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING December 4, 2007 At the Annual General Meeting of the European Curling Federation held today at Füssen, Germany at which 27 nations out of the 35 ECF member nations were represented, the major decisions taken and/or announced were as follows: The European Curling Championships 2010 have been awarded to Champery, Switzerland. The European Mixed Curling Championships will in future be played in only 3 groups (previously 4 groups) so as to allow the participating teams more games. A completely revised constitution has been adopted to enter into force as of January 1, 2008 EUROPEAN CURLING LIVE - ONLINE! November 29, 2007 In partnership with Eurosport, Eurosport.com and the World Curling Federation, CurlTV.com will be broadcasting the Le Gruyère European Curling Championships 2007 live from Füssen, Germany on December 1st-8th. This year the event will host a new record 55 teams from 32 nations including 23 women’s and 32 men’s teams. There is bound to be some great curling in Füssen and you can watch all the live curling action on http://www.curltv.com/ecc2007/ or through http://www.eurosport.yahoo.com . Even better yet, when you log in from a country within the Eurosport region, you can watch all the curling for FREE! EUROSPORT TV SCHEDULE ECC FÜSSEN 2007 November 16, 2007 The following games of the Le Gruyere AOC European Curling Championships will be covered by Eurosport:  Dec. 01 12:00 SWE-NOR Dec. 02 13:00 SCO-GER Dec. 03 08:00 SWE-SCO 12:00 ger-cze Dec. 04 09:00 GER-NOR 14:00 den-ger Dec. 05 09:00 rus-ger 14:00 GER-FRA 19:00 (Women) selected on standings Dec. 06 08:00 (Men) selected on standings 20:00 to be advised Dec. 07 08:00 to be advised 14:00 Semi-Final Women 19:00 Semi-Final Men Dec. 08 09:00 Final Women 13:00 Final Men Schedule is subject to change without notice! ECF REVISED CONSTITUTION November 10, 2007 The European Curling Federation’s Executive Committee has finalised its revised draft of the 1998 ECF Constitution.   This draft has been circulated to all Member Associations by the ECF Secretary and will be discussed for ratification at the European Curling Federation’s Annual General Meeting held in Füssen on December 4th 2007.   ACKNOWLEDGEMENT The ECF is indebted to Bob Cowan, Editor of The Scottish Curler Magazine for the photograph of the Wales' team, winners of the ECMC. WALES WINS EUROPEAN MIXED 2007 September 29th 2007 Congratulations to Wales on winning the European Mixed Curling Championships 2007 at Madrid, Spain. The team composed of Adrian Meikle, Lesley Carol, Andrew Tanner, Blair Hughes and Chris Wells defeated Denmark 6:5 in the finals at Palacio de Hielo and won the country's first ever European title! The bronze medal match between Germany and Austria finished 5:3 in favour of the German Schöpp-team. At the same time the European Curling Federation announced that the fourth edition of the very popular European Mixed Curling Championships will be held in Kitzbühel, Austria in the fall of 2008. EUROPEAN SENIOR INVITATION July 16th 2007   We are sorry to announce the postponement of the inaugural “European Senior Invitation Curling Championship” scheduled to be held at Greenacres Curling Club, Scotland in October 2007. The reason for the postponement from 2007 till autumn 2008 is due to a clash of competition dates in Scotland and no alternative date is available.   LE GRUYERE EUROPEAN CURLING CHAMPIONSHIPS 2007 July 5th 2007.   The LE GRUYÈRE EUROPEAN CURLING CHAMPIONSHIP will be held in the town of Füssen, Germany from 1st to 8th December 2007.   A record number of nations have entered; a total of 56 teams made up from 33 men’s and 23 women’s teams from a total of 35 nations will participate.   Men’s teams from Iceland and Ukraine will take part for the first time.   Good luck to all competitors. LE GRUYERE AOC RENEWS EUROPEAN CURLING SPONSORSHIP 22nd May 2007   PERTH, Scotland – The World Curling Federation (WCF) announced that Le Gruyère AOC has renewed its title sponsorship of the European Curling Championships. The two-year agreement confirms that the 2007 and 2008 events will continue as the Le Gruyère European Curling Championships.  “We are delighted to have Le Gruyère AOC continue its strong partnership with the world’s fastest-growing winter sport,” said WCF President Les Harrison. “The Le Gruyère European Championships are a highlight of Europe’s sporting calendar.” “This is a great day for curling,” said Malcolm Richardson, President of the European Curling Federation (ECF). “We have seen the men’s and women’s Le Gruyère European Championships grow with astonishing speed, with upwards of 30 countries participating in what is now two pools of competition. The partnership of Le Gruyère and this critical championship also grows in strength each year, and we are most pleased with this announcement.” The 2007 Le Gruyère European Championships take place from December 1-8 in Füssen, Germany, with the 2008 event scheduled for December 6-13 in Örnsköldsvik, Sweden. The top ranked men’s and women’s teams qualify for the World Curling Championships in 2008 and 2009. Andy Kapp, 2007 silver medallist at last March’s Ford World Curling Championship in Edmonton, will serve double-duty in Füssen. Kapp is the vice-chair of the organizing committee and will also represent Germany on the ice during the men’s side of the Championship. “We are pleased to renew our association with this great sport and these great Championships,” said Pierre Dubois, President of Le Gruyère AOC. “As curling athletes strive for Olympic and World Championship success it is our pleasure to support their efforts, and accompany them on their road to victory.” The 2006 Le Gruyère European Curling Championships were won by Switzerland (men’s skip Andreas Schwaller) and Russia (women’s skip Ludmila Privivkova) in front of record crowds at the St. Jakob Arena in Basel, Switzerland. The event also set records with a remarkable 50 teams competing, representing 30 member associations. ABOUT LE GRUYERE AOC: Le Gruyère AOC is a hard cheese produced in the Western part of Switzerland, with a characteristic taste obtained from the best quality of “not pasteurized” milk, coming straight from cows fed on grass. Depending on the age of the cheese (maturation of five to 18 months) it has more or less character. Le Gruyère AOC has won numerous global awards for its product including World Champion of “all Categories” at the World Cheese Awards in London in 1992, 2002, 2005 and most recently in March of 2007. Please visit: www.gruyere.com FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:   George Karrys Media Relations Officer, World Curling Federation 1-905-997-3348 media@worldcurling.org www.worldcurling.org   EUROPEAN SENIORS INVITATION May 30th. 2007   Following Sponsorship received from the World Women’s and Senior Championships in 2005 we are delighted to advise that Greenacres Curling Club will host a European Invitation Seniors event from the 10th of October until the 13th. October 2007.   The format of the event will, hopefully, be 18 men’s and 18 women’s teams by invitation in the initial stage.   The entry fee per team will be £50.00 and all teams will be guaranteed five games in three groups of six. The top team will go straight to the Semi-final with other six playing a Quarter-final. This will, of course, mean that the group with the best team will have three places.   Accommodation has been arranged at a maximum cost of £35.00 per head Bed and Breakfast for a room with two sharing and could be less at hotels close to Greenacres.   A final banquet will take place on the evening of the 13th which will allow all teams to return home on Sunday October 14th.   Transport will be included from hotels to Greenacres and from airport arrival to hotels.   Invitations will be issued to the 12 men’s and women’s teams at the Scottish finals this year with a guarantee of a place for the first 8 applications, with the others being on a reserve list. It is hoped that the remaining places will be taken up by European teams to make this an exciting International event.   The invitation is to all European Federation member nations to send one team to this inaugural event. Seniors’ curling is on a threshold and we hope this tournament could a stepping stone to further events.   Applications should be sent to Greenacres Curling Club, Howwood, Renfrewshire. PA7 5AY. Telephone: 0044 (0)1505 850633.   EXCELLENT RESULT FOR EUROPEAN JUNIORS March 12, 2007 Congratulations to all the Men’s and Women’s  World Junior Teams for the superb quality of curling at the recent World Championships held at Eveleth Minnesota USA. Canada’s Junior Men’s team taking the Gold Medal over Sweden (Silver) and after an extra end  the Bronze Medal was won by Switzerland’s Men’s team over Denmark. Scotland’s Junior Women’s team took the Gold Medal, beating Canada’s Women by one shot after an extra end.  Denmark’s women’s team pipped its men’s team by achieving the Bronze Medal over the USA. A very good result for Junior European Curling.   ENTRIES COMPLETED FOR EMCC 2007 AT MADRID, SPAIN May 11, 2007   A record number of 26 nations have registered to participate in the 3rd edition of the European Mixed Curling Championships 2007, which will take place at Madrid, Spain from September 24-29.   For further details about the championships and for bookings please visit the homepage of the Host Committee under www.emcc2007.es   EUROPEAN SENIORS April 29th 2007   The proposed European Senior Curling Championship has been put on hold.   However, the profit accrued from the World Women's Championship and the World Senior Championship held in Paisley 2005 set aside for this purpose will benefit the European Seniors in the form of a European Senior Invitation to be held at Greenacres Ice Rink, Scotland.   The date scheduled for this event is October 31st until November 3rd 2007. This is a preliminary notice and more details will follow. WHEELCHAIR SUCCESS February 26, 2007   Congratulations to Norway,winners of the Gold Medal at the World Wheelchair Curling Championship held in Solleftea Sweden.   An exiting final which was decided on a measure on the last stone of the last end resulted in Norway's win over Switzerland who took the Silver Medal.   Scotland, after being three nil down after two ends against Canada in the Bronze medal game took a four in the third end. This lead was sustained by winning two more ends resulting in the final score of seven to four for Scotland.   The teams experienced extremely cold weather but this was more than compensated by the excellent and generous hospitality from the Swedish Curling Association. SWITZERLAND ENDS EURO DROUGHT Picture: copyright www.curlit.com December 16, 2006 It was going to take a special performance to upend defending world champion Scotland in the final of the 2006 Le Gruyère European Curling Championship. To the joy of a boisterous home crowd at St. Jakob Arena, Switzerland's new - and now disbanded - all-star team did just that, beating Scotland's David Murdoch 7-6 to win the championship. Skip Andreas Schwaller and new temporary teammate Ralph Stöckli rode their experimental lineup right through the eight-day event, ably supported by front-enders Thomas Lips and Damien Grichting, in winning their country's first European title in 20 years. Murdoch's men fell behind 3-1 and 5-2 before roaring back with a three-ender in the seventh frame. With the Swiss clinging to a nervous 6-5 lead in the 10th, the Scots maneuvered well to lurk for the deuce, but an uncharacteristic miss on Murdoch's first stone forced him to take the tying single with his last rock. Switzerland held the hammer in the extra-end, played it cool, and after a critical double-takeout on his first rock, Schwaller made a cool draw to the four-foot for the win. At next year's Le Gruyère European Curling Championship in Fussen, Germany, B-pool qualifiers Czech Republic (B-pool champion) and Italy graduate to the A-division, while Ireland and Wales both drop to the B-pool. RUSSIA WINS 2006 EURO WOMEN'S TITLE picture: copyright curlit.com December 16, 2006 Russia defeated Italy 9-4 to win the women's 2006 Le Gruyère European Curling Championship, the first major curling title for the country that made its international curling debut in 1992. Skip Ludmila Privivkova, the defending world junior champion, added the prestigious European title to her trophy case by scoring three points in the third end and stealing the sixth and seventh ends. Italy's Diana Gaspari scored three in the second end but could only muster a single point the rest of the way. Privivkova and teammates Olga Jarkova, Nkeirouka Ezekh, Ekaterina Galkina and Margarita Fomina went undefeated in the round-robin with a 9-0 record against a strong field of Olympic champions and medallists. Russia then lost to the Italians in the first "Page" playoff game 7-5 but recovered to defeat Switzerland's Mirjam Ott 7-5 in the semi-final. At next year's Le Gruyère European Curling Championship in Fussen, Germany, B-pool qualifiers Austria (B-pool champion) and Finland graduate to the A-division, while Norway, skipped by two-time World and European champion Dordi Nordby of Norway, falls to the B-pool, along with the Netherlands. Triumph for Europe in the Continental Cup 28 November 2006   Team Europe scored a great victory over Team North America in the 4th Continental Cup held in Chilliwack, Canada last weekend.   The overall score at the end of the 4 days of competition was  EUROPE 229, North America 171.   This means that both continents have now won the Cup twice but the future of the event is in doubt unless a sponsor can be found to underwrite the cost. Full details can be found at http://www.worldcurling.org/CurlHome/Results/2006-2007/CC/ Basel TV schedule from Eurosport November 10th 2006   Eurosport's schedule for the televising of games from the European Championships in Basel in December has been announced: UPPER CASE - Men, lower case - Women Backup games will be televised if main game finishes early   Sat  9th Dec 2000 GER v SCO Deferred Broadcast Sun 10th Dec 1700 sui v ger LIVE (backup nor-sco) Mon 11th Dec 0800 SCO v NOR LIVE (backup DEN-SUI) 1600 SWE v SUI Deferred Broadcast Tue 12th Dec 0900 GER v DEN LIVE (backup SUI-SCO) 1500 rus v swe LIVE (backup den-sco) Wed 13th Dec 0900 rus v ger LIVE (backup sco-swe) 1500 SUI v GER LIVE (backup SWE-DEN) 1900 sui v den Deferred broadcast Thu 14th Dec 0800 SWE v GER LIVE Fri 15th Dec 0900 Play Offs LIVE 1500 Semi-Final (Women) LIVE Sat 16th Dec 0900 Final (Women) Deferred broadcast (17th) 1500 Final (Men) LIVE            Scotland win European Mixed October 23, 2006 Congratulations to Scotland on winning the 2006 European Mixed Championships with an 8-4 defeat of home nation, Italy in the Final. Russia defeated Sweden for the bronze medal. For results, rankings and details about the teams please click HERE   You read it here first in our preview - The hot favourites this year must be Scotland skipped by former World Junior Champion Tom Brewster with former World Champions, Jackie Lockhart and David Hay at third and second.   And so it proved as they went undefeated through the tournament. European Mixed Curling Championships 2006 Claut October 12, 2006 On Tuesday, October 17, 2006 the European Mixed Curling Championships 2006 will start in Claut, Italy. For results, rankings and details about the teams please click HERE Füssen, GER to stage the 2007 Le Gruyere AOC European Curling Championships (ECC) September 21, 2006 The city of Füssen, GER, will host the 2007 Le Gruyere AOC European Curling Championships (ECC) between the 1st and 8th December. This will be the second time, after 1997, that the city of Füssen, situated at the southern end of the Romantic Road and in the heart of one of the finest holiday areas in the entire Alpine region, will host the ECC and it will be the 6th time that the event will have taken place in Germany. The 2007 event will mark the 33rd edition of the European Curling Championships. Madrid to host the 2007 European Mixed Curling Championship September 15, 2006 Madrid will stage the 2007 European Mixed Curling Championship, it was announced today by the European Curling Federation (ECF). The championship will be held September 24-29, 2007 at the Palacio de Hielo “Dreams” at Madrid, and will mark the first time that Spain has hosted a European event. The 2007 EMCC will be the third edition of the EMCC; the inaugural event took place in Andorra in 2005 with the 2006 edition taking place in Claut, Italy.     FUTURE EUROPEAN CURLING CHAMPIONSHIPS August 8th, 2006   The Executive are pleased to announce that the 2009 European Curling Championship has been awarded to Aberdeen in Scotland.   We are also delighted to say we have cleared the outstanding problem with Ornskoldsvik and the Championship will go ahead there between the 6th and 13th of December in 2008 as previously advised.   The 2007 Championship venue is not quite yet finalised but hopefully we will be able to announce this in the very near future.     DRAW OF THE EMCC 2006 CLAUT, ITALY July 31st, 2006 The draw of the European Mixed Curling Championships 2006 at Claut, Italy has been finalised. Please click HERE if you want to have a look at it. ENTRIES FOR EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS July 3rd 2006   A record equalling 53 teams have entered the 2006 European Championships to be held in Basel, Switzerland in December. Thirty men's teams and 23 women's teams will fight over the titles currently held by the Norwegian men and the Swedish women. This is the same total number as 2005, but the men' entries have risen by 1 while the women have dropped one. New participants this year will be Lithuania (men and women) and Serbia and Montenegro (men) while there is no entry this year from last year's competitors - Andorra's men, Bulgaria's women or Ireland's women. ENTRIES FOR EUROPEAN MIXED CHAMPIONSHIPS 2006 1st June 2006 Twenty three nations have entered the second European Mixed Curling Championships to be held in Claut, Italy between 17th and 21st October. This is the same number as last year, though Austria, Kazakhstan, Lithuania and Norway are new entries taking the place of Andorra, Croatia, England and Luxembourg who have not entered this year.   Once all the entries have been confirmed by payment of the newly imposed entry fee of 200 Euros the draw will be made and published on this website. WORLD MEN'S CHAMPIONSHIPS 9th April 2006    Scotland won only their 4th World title in 47 years beating Canada 7-4 in the final. This came after they had lost the Page 1/2 game to Canada by 2-8, but they bounced back by beating Norway in the bronze medal game.   For 3 members of the team it was their second World Championship Warwick Smith and Ewan MacDonald (1999) and fifth man Peter Smith (1991).   Ewan MacDonald also won the Collie Campbell Sportsmanship award. WORLD WOMEN'S CHAMPIONSHIPS 26th March 2006   In a tense final, Anette Norberg and her team from Sweden won their 5th consecutive major title with a 10-9 victory over the USA. Canada finished third while a rejuvenated Andrea Schopp got Germany back into the World spotlight with a fine 4th place finish. WORLD JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIPS 19th March 2006   Congratulations to Russia on winning their first World Championships when they defeated Canada in the final of the Junior Women's in Jeonju City, Korea. well done also to Denmark in getting the bronze.   In the Junior Men's Championships, Canada won yet again but Sweden and Scotland picked up the silver and bronze while Logan Gray (the Scottish skip) received the Sportsmanship Award. WORLD SENIOR CHAMPIONSHIPS 11th March 2006   The World Senior Championships which were held at the Taarnby Club in Copenhagen between the 4th and 11th March produced mixed results for the European teams. The Swedish women were successful in winning the gold medal, coming from behind to defeat Canada in the final. Switzerland were third. In the men's event, it was an all North American final with Canada dominating over the USA. Sweden upheld Europe's honour with the bronze medal. For full details of the competition and the results see the competition webpage. EUROPEAN JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIPS January 7th 2006     After 2 very close finals, Italy (men) and Scotland (ladies) won the European Junior Championships and will be represented in the World Junior Championships in Korea in March. They will be joined by 5 other European teams - Scotland, Switzerland, Sweden, Norway and Denmark (men) and Sweden, Denmark, Russia, Switzerland and Norway (ladies). We wish them all good luck and look forward to European success.   For results click here... Sunday 18th December 2005 Well it is all over now and the medals have all been presented at the European Championships in Garmisch Partenkirchen.   As the snow fell on this Olympic town, the action inside the arena was red hot as the closing ceremonies were played out and the teams said their farewells.   For Pal Trulsen of Norway it was the end of 20 years of trying as he at last won a European gold to add to his Olympic gold as Peter Lindholm of Sweden failed once again to repeat earlier European triumphs.   In the ladies event, Anette Norberg continued her amazing run of success adding a 5th consecutive  European Championship to her World Championship title, emphasising that she is one of the favourites for the Olympic gold in Torino in February. Her victory over Mirjam Ott of Switzerland (herself a former European Champion) was hard fought.   Bronze medals went to Scotland (men) and Denmark (ladies).   In the World Championship Challenge matches there were wins for Germany over Russia in the ladies and for Finland over France in a men's Challenge which went right down to the last stone of the third and deciding game.     22.10.2005 Finland is the first ever European Mixed Champion! At the inaugural event held at the Palau de Gel at Canillo, Andorra, where 23 nations were represented, the Finnish foursome Markku Uusipaavalniemi, Kirsi Nykänen, Teemu Salo and Tiina Kautonen won the gold medal! The silver medal went to the team of Sweden followed by team Germany, which was awarded the bronze medal.   The event proved to be extremely popular both for spectators and players! The 2006 edition of the European Mixed Curling Championships (EMCC) will be held at Claut, Italy, former host of the University Games. The dates of the 2006 event are still to be announced.   22.03.2005 Belgium was accepted as the 35th member nation of the European Curling Federation when the Semi-Annual General Meeting of the ECF took place today at the Holiday Inn Hotel at Paisley, Scotland. Belgium was granted ECF membership for the second time in history: They had already been ECF member in the previous century but around the year 2000 their activities ceased. They now received a warm welcome back!   At the same time the ECF General Meeting decided to have the ECF registered in Berne, Switzerland and adopted several additions to the ECF constitution in order to comply with Swiss law.   4.3.2005 We received this press release from the President of the new founded curling association in Serbia and Montenegro, and we wish them the best of luck and success:   "This was an exciting and historical week for curling in Serbia and Montenegro.   First news is that on Tuesday the 22nd February 2005. around 2:15 PM Belgrade time (1:15 GMT) National Curling Association of Serbia and Montenegro (NCASM) was unanimously accepted as full member of the Olympic Committee of Serbia and Montenegro during its General Assembly. On the 18th of February we had a first official training with the five members of the Bulgarian Curling Association including Lubomir Velinov the general secretary of BCA.   They have brought all the equipment and stones to Belgrade. The first stone in the history of sports in Serbia and Montenegro was pushed by my self (Marko Stojanovic) around 5:30 PM Belgrade time, the second one by Miodrag Kastratovic, general secretary of the NCASM. There where 30 people training including sportsmen in wheelchairs from Serbia and Bulgaria. We have organized an international promotional friendly match between Serbia and Montenegro and Bulgaria on Saturday the 19th of February 2005 at noon Belgrade time. The first stones where pushed by wheelchair curlers of Serbia and Montenegro and Bulgaria, Sinisa Milenkovic (SCG), Zeljko Cirkovic (SCG) and Ivan Sopov (BUL). After them me and Miodrag Kastratovic have done the same. HE the Ambassador of Bulgaria in SCG has opened the event. The media coverage was incredible. All the national and satellite media in Serbia and Montenegro have covered the event and now everybody in Serbia and Montenegro knows what curling is. In our team we had a lot of celebrities.   In few days we will have our site with photos and videos for you to see. We are all very excited. We are now officially applying for full membership in the WCF and ECF (We are provisional members of the ECF since 7th of December 2004.)."   Marko Stojanovic,President National Curling Association of Serbia and Montenegro Mobile phone: +381 63 320 169 Address: Gospodar Jevremova 57 11000 Belgrade, Serbia and Montenegro Phone/Fax: +381 11 2652 557 amahyh@beotel.yu curlingserbia@yahoo.com markomima@sbb.co.yu To top 7.12.2004 The European Curling Federation held it´s general annual assembly in Sofia and then decided that the 2008 European Championhips will be played in Örnsköldsvik, Sweden. Örnsköldsvik, or just Ö-vik as the people there are saying, is situated on the Swedish east coast, about 600 kilometres north of Stockholm. The town has one of the best ice hockey teams in Sweden, MoDo, where famous players like Peter Forsberg and Markus Näslund started their career. But the Örnsköldsvik Curling Club has also produced talents as the 2004 World Junior Champions of Team Niklas Edin.   Since earlier it is decided that the European Championships in 2005 will take place in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, in 2006 Basle, Switzerland and 2007 in Andorra, the small country between France and Spain.   The ECF annual assembly also re-elected their President Malcolm Richardson of Scotland, Vice-President Dieter Kolb of Germany and Secretary/Treasurer Saskia Krügl of Germany.   Members at large became Urs Müller, Switzerland, Leif Öhman, Sweden and Ainslie M. Smith of Scotland.   Regional representatives were Olli Rissanen, Finland of Northern Europe, John Brown, England of United Kingdom, Andrew Ferguson-Smith, Andorra of Central Europa and Konstantin Zadvornov, Russia of Eastern Europe. To top