Before we even dive into the event itself, can we take a moment to admire the logo for the 2022 World Mixed Doubles Curling Championship?
We have seen past WCF event logo's incorporate references to the host city and/or host nation but this is really upping the game.
For those unfamiliar, the logo is tying together the Flag and Coat of Arms of Geneva.
The Imperial Eagle is shown on both and now is making an appearance in the curling house.
Plus the colour combination, with the black rings offset with the red and yellow "coat of arms" look and the black Imperial Eagle just pop.
Similar to an eagle's wing, it is flying through that house at a rapid speed.
Begs the question, which is faster? An Imperial Eagle or a Jason Gunnlaugson take out? 😆
Props to the organizing committee and WCF for building this logo and really using a historic piece of Geneva to market the event.
Don't you want to own a piece of merchandise from this event just because of this logo alone?
WCF needs to get on top of online merchandise and marketing. They could make some money with event logo's like this on popular merchandise items like shirts, hats and drinkware.
The discipline of mixed doubles continues to be on the rise.
We have seen how it's inclusion in the past two Winter Olympic programs has really helped bolster the discipline and the sport overall.
People have almost a love/hate relationship with MD. Some love it. Some hate it. But, either way, it gets people talking.
And PR 101 states "all news is good news" right?
The World Mixed Doubles Curling Championship has become a beacon of hope for some non-traditional power nations over the years.
Hungary has 2 world championships (2013, 2015).
Powerhouse nations Canada, Scotland and Sweden have won 2 world championships COMBINED.
Of course those are also the past two world champions with Sweden winning in 2019 and Scotland in 2021.
And yes, that does mean Canada has yet to win a world championship. The previous best result was silver in 2019. The same duo who competed in 2019 will be competing in 2022 though so perhaps a bit of revenge and redemption on their minds?
Switzerland, the host nation for 2022, leads the way with 7 world championships. In fact, it is the only medal colour they have won. No silver. No bronze. All gold. Interesting stat line.
But lets also praise those other non-traditional curling nations who may not have found success at men's and/or women's world championships but have hit a podium in MD.
New Zealand won silver in 2010.
France won bronze in 2011.
Austria won bronze in 2012.
Czech Republic won bronze in 2013.
Spain won bronze in 2014.
Australia finished 4th in 2019.
Isn't this what we like to see at world championship events?
Sure it is great to see traditional powerhouse nations like Canada, Sweden, Switzerland, Scotland and USA dominate and win but don't we also like seeing an underdog surprise?
It truly is where the #TeamUpset originated. From these past world mixed doubles results.
We know #NoLeadIsSafe in MD. Any team on the ice can beat any other team in any given draw. Anything can happen...and probably will throughout a grueling RR.
Will we see the power nations control the podium in Geneva or will we write another chapter in the curling #TeamUpset book?
Of note, RCF is still deemed ineligible to enter so their spot in the field went to Spain.
China also withdrew from the competition due to COVID-19 travel restrictions. Their spot was awarded to Denmark.
Bring on the preview....
#TwineTimePreview
World Mixed Doubles Curling ChampionshipGeneva, SUI
2021 Champions: Scotland (Jennifer Dodds/Bruce Mouat)
Format: 20-team RR with 2 pools of 10. Top 3 in each pool qualify for the playoffs. Pool winners earn bye to SF. 4 teams will be relegated.
Group ANations (World Curling Federation MD Ranking):
Switzerland - Alina Patz / Sven Michel (2)
Norway - Maia Ramsfjell / Magnus Ramsfjell (3)
Sweden - Isabella Wrana / Rasmus Wrana (4)
South Korea - Kim Min-ji / Lee Ki-jeong (8)
Finland - Lotta Immonen / Markus Sipila (11)
Japan - Chiaki Matsumura / Yasumasa Tanida (12)
Italy - Stefania Constantini / Sebastiano Arman (13)
Estonia - Marie Kaldvee / Harri Lill (16)
New Zealand - Natalie Thurlow / Warren Dobson (21)
Denmark - Jasmin Lander / Henrik Holtermann (23)
#Fav
Tough to bet against the home nation. Switzerland will field one of the most successful duo's in the sport, across all disciplines, and the Swiss have won more mixed doubles world championships (7) than the rest of the world COMBINED (6).
Switzerland's on and off the ice duo of Alina Patz and Sven Michel are no strangers to this event, having won the world championship in 2011.
In fact, this duo has never lost at this world championship.
Michel will be making his 3rd appearance, winning in 2011 and 2018 (with Michele Jaggi).
Patz will make her 2nd appearance. She is also coming off a 3rd straight, 5th overall, World Women's Curling Championship title.
Chalk them into the playoff bracket now.
#TeamUpset
Could the last team in the field make the biggest noise? Denmark got the nod when China withdrew. One team misfortune is another team's golden moment?
The Danes will be represented by an experienced team. Maybe not MD experienced, this will be their rookie appearance, but Lander and Holtermann are not new to international competition ice.
Holtermann competed in #Beijing2022 as second and recently competed at #ECC2021. The 25 year old has also represented Denmark at 3 world junior competitions.
Lander was also in Beijing as the alternate with Team Dupont. The 22 year old has represented Denmark at 4 world junior competitions, was vice with Team Halse at #ECC2019 and alternate with Team Dupont on #ECC2021.
The duo have teamed up for mixed curling as well, finishing 5th as members of Team Thune at the 2019 World Mixed Curling Championship.
The question will be whether their mixed doubles inexperience works against them versus a strong field. They did compete at the 2021 Olympic Qualification Event, finishing 7th overall (of 14).
#W2W4
Can Italy back up the Olympic gold medal win at #Beijing2022 and become the first nation to win the Double-Double? Constantini can make #HERstory with a world championship victory.
Will we see Double Trouble from the two sibling combinations out of Norway and Sweden?
What about Estonia and their MD pairing? A duo who have won numerous MD events on tour but are still looking for their big breakthrough at the world championship. This will be their 5th appearance.
Will the Asian nations FINALLY make a move on the MD world championship scene? We have seen the Asian nations make a steady incline up the men's and women's world rankings but we have not seen a big result at this championship.
The best result to date for an Asian nation was China's runner-up appearance in 2016. China also won bronze in 2017 and was 4th back in 2009. Korea is the only other nation to come close to the podium, with a 4th place finish in 2018.
From a #PACC perspective, we can also include New Zealand's silver medal win in 2010 and Australia's breakout result of finishing 4th in 2019.
Can Korea, Japan and/or New Zealand get the #PACC to the top of the pack?
Plus, how were these groups created? They could not have used the world rankings considering the nations ranked #2 (Switzerland), #3 (Norway) and #4 (Sweden) are all in the same group.
Did they go off the 2021 final ranking? If so, that would be confusing considering Norway (2nd), Sweden (3rd), Italy (5th) and Switzerland (5th) were Top 5/6 while Finland (17th), Korea (17th) and Estonia (19) were all relegated.
Curling needs to come up with a fair and transparent system for group development. Use the international rankings. Use the results from the previous year. Use something, stick to it and make it known.
Personally I still like the IIHF model of using the previous championship final standings to determine the pools/groups for the next year's competition. Sure the players on the ice may change but at least it is fair and transparent.
We will never eliminate the "uneven pool/group" argument. Once we get over trying to be "fair" for balance, we see the "balance" argument will always be there regardless of the system. It is just sport being sport.
Group B
Canada - Jocelyn Peterman / Brett Gallant (1)
USA - Becca Hamilton / Matt Hamilton (5)
Scotland - Eve Muirhead / Bobby Lammie (7)
Czech Republic - Julie Zelingrova / Vit Chabicovsky (10)
Australia - Tahli Gill / Dean Hewitt (14)
Hungary - Ildiko Szekeres / Gyorgy Nagy (15)
Turkey - Dilsat Yildiz / Muhammed Zeki Ucan (17)
Germany - Pia-Lisa Scholl / Klaudius Harsch (18)
England - Anna Fowler / Ben Fowler (19)
Spain - Oihane Otaegi / Mikel Unanue (20)
#Fav
Only 1? Really? Is that even possible?
You have the current Olympic women's gold medal winning skip in Scotland's Eve Muirhead teaming with current Olympic silver medal winning second Bobby Lammie. They beat the defending world champions and teammates Jennifer Dodds and Bruce Mouat to win the Scottish championship.
You have, arguably, one of the strongest MD teams in the world with on and off ice couple Jocelyn Peterman and Brett Gallant. Gallant coming off an Olympic bronze and world championship silver medal winning season thus far. Peterman was also in Beijing with Team Jones. And they have been here before, winning silver in 2019.
Both of these duos should be in the playoff mix by the end of the RR and should be fighting for a final spot on the podium.
But with only 3 teams advancing, and these 2 being overwhelming favourites, the odds are not looking good for the remaining 8 teams in this group.
#TeamUpset
Spain may be considered the #TeamUpset flag bearer here given the world ranking and being a replacement for RCF. But this is an experienced duo remember.
This will be the 3rd straight appearance for Otaegi/Unanue, after 9th place (2019) and 20th place (2021) finishes the past 2 championships.
A playoff spot might be a reach but they could surprise a few of the higher ranked nations in the RR.
Turkey may also be an unknown here. The curling world has become more familiar with Yildiz, fresh off her debut appearance at #WMCC2022 as the skip for Turkey. And 2022 will mark her 5th World MD Curling Championship appearance.
But she is competing with a new partner this year. How will Zeki Ucan hold up in his first world championship? Can Yildiz use her experience, and confidence from a #HERstory making season, to their advantage? Her best result here was an 8th place finish in 2018.
#W2W4
Who secures the final playoff spot if Canada and Scotland are pre-event locks?
Australia and USA seem to be the biggest challengers here for the final spot.
Australia is fresh off a #Beijing2022 experience, one to be remembered for the ages with making history for Australia but also surviving COVID-19 issues.
USA's Hamilton siblings, the 4th sibling duo in the field, have been here before finishing 10th in 2017. Not to mention they also competed on Olympic ice, representing USA in this discipline in PyeongChang in 2018 (7th place).
Or will we see a shocker and one (or more) of the other 6 nations in the field defy the pre-event odds and make a push for the playoffs?
If you are looking for a dark horse playoff upset pick, England, Germany or Hungary may be where you want to rest your eyes.
The Fowler siblings have a ton of MD experience. This will be their 7th appearance with their best result being 8th in 2016. They finished 14th last year.
Germany's Scholl/Harsch combo is back as well. Last year they made their world championship debut, finishing the RR with a 5-4 record and just missing out on the Olympic play-off game due to the DSC TB procedure. For Scholl, this will be her 3rd straight world MD appearance and looking for her 1st playoff spot.
And never count out experience. Hungary's Szekeres/Nagy may be the most experienced duo in the group. 2022 marks their 6th world MD appearance but 1st since 2018 (6th place). They have reached the podium before though, winning silver in 2009.
Do not let age fool you either. Szekeres (49) and Nagy (57) might be the oldest duo in the field but, as just stated, age equals experience. And experience, especially in MD curling, can be a huge advantage.
The average curling fan may not be as familiar with the rest of the teams in this grouping or have as much name recognition as the Big 4 but do not undersell them either.
This is a MD experienced group and we all know the two motto's when it comes to MD curling: No Lead Is Safe and Expect The Unexpected!
Group A Projected Standings:
1. Switzerland 2. Italy 3. Sweden 4. Estonia 5. Norway 6. Korea 7. Japan 8. Denmark 9. Finland 10. New Zealand
Group B Projected Standings:
1. Canada 2. Scotland 3. Australia 4. USA 5. England 6. Germany 7. Hungary 8. Turkey 9. Spain 10. Czech Republic
Relegation Games: Spain def. Denmark, Turkey def. Finland
Relegation Nations: Denmark, Finland, New Zealand, Czech Republic
Playoff Qualifiers: Switzerland, Canada, Italy, Scotland, Sweden, Australia
#WMDCC2022 Bronze Medal: Scotland (Muirhead / Lammie) def. Italy (Constantini / Arman)
#WMDCC2022 GOLD MEDAL: Canada (Peterman / Gallant) def. Switzerland (Patz / Michel)
#WSCC2022
Take note, the World Senior Curling Championships are being held at the same time as the World Mixed Doubles Curling Championship. This will be the first #WSCC since 2019 as the 2020 and 2021 editions were cancelled due to COVID-19.
21 men's nations and 13 women's nations will be competing for the championship. There are the traditional powerhouse curling nations (Canada, Sweden, Switzerland, Scotland, USA) but also non-traditional curling nations like Ireland and Latvia entered in both draws.
Belgium, New Zealand, Slovakia and Nigeria are also entered in the men's draw while Lithuania returns for the women's draw.
Sherry Anderson and Wade White will don the Maple Leaf in Geneva looking to claim Canada's 13th women's and 11th men's world senior championship.
Sherry Anderson will be aiming for her own #3peat, entering the competition as the two-time defending champion.
Anderson's main competition should come from USA and Sweden with England, Scotland and Switzerland also being podium threats.
White will face some stiff competition of familiar curling names such as Hugh Millikin (Australia), David Sik (Czech Republic), Andy Kapp (Germany) and Christof Schwaller (Switzerland).
And watch out for the Swedish men's team: Mats Wrana, Mikael Hasselborg, Anders Eriksson and Gerry Waehlin. Those last names probably sound VERY familiar to current curling fans.
Canada, Sweden and Germany should be considered pre-event podium favourites but there are some top challengers as well in this field.
Anderson and White will be making their second appearance together, having swept the podium in 2018.
Canada will be looking for the men's #3peat, having won the titles in 2018 and 2019, while the women will attempt the coveted #4Score after winning the world title in 2017, 2018 and 2019.
Full details, including results, for #WSCC2022 can be found HERE.
#StayTuned
The #WMDCC2022 Broadcast Schedule can be found HERE.
Stay up to date with all the scores and standings on the WCF event site HERE.
Remember, if you are looking for updated Draw Shot Challenge (DSC) stats, CurlIt has you covered HERE.
The curling season is not over yet either folks. The final #GSOC event of the season, Champions Cup, hits the ice in Old, Alberta at the beginning of May.
And the World Junior Curling Championships will take place May 15 - 22 in Sweden.
And the blog may just have a few more surprises (another podcast episode even?) to release before wrapping up a wild 2021/22 season.
To those competing in Geneva, good luck and good curling...the ice is yours!
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