High Calibre Curlers Confirmed for Winter Games NZ - amended

Eight men’s teams and five women’s teams, including the current world champions, will make up the final quota of the curling event at the inaugural 100% Pure New Zealand Winter Games.

The Chinese women’s curling team is currently ranked number eight in the world and are current world champions following their victory at the 2009 World Curling Championships at Mount Titlis in Korea. Their closest rivals are the Japanese who have also qualified for the 2010 Olympics. The women’s field is completed by Korea’s national champion team and the top Australian and New Zealand women’s teams.

The men’s competition features top teams from Australia, Canada, China, Korea, Japan, Czech Republic and New Zealand and the USA. The New Zealand team is lead by Dunedin’s Dan Mustapic who is veteran of three world championships and member of the New Zealand Olympic team in 2006. He is joined by fellow Olympian Warren Dobson (Mt Ida) along with Scott Becker, Warren Kearney and Kris Miller all of Ranfurly.

The curling competition starts on Sunday 23 August at the Maniototo Curling International indoor rink in Naseby and runs until Saturday 29 August. Tickets are available for the semi finals and finals from $8 available from TicketDirect with a grandstand set up on the ice to get right up close to all the action.

100% Pure New Zealand Winter Games will take place at Coronet Peak, The Remarkables, Cardrona Alpine Resort, Snow Farm, Naseby and Dunedin from 21-30 August 2009 and will feature disciplines of alpine skiing, free skiing, x-country skiing, snowboarding, curling, ice skating and adaptive snow sports as well as the demonstration sports of winter triathlon and natural luge. For further information visit www.wintergamesnz.com .