CurlManitoba has announced that the Bunge Championship will return to the Selkirk Recreation Complex for the 2026 Championship. It will be the sixth Manitoba Men’s championship in Selkirk’s arena and the seventh championship hosted by Selkirk and will be presented from February 3-8.
The 2026 event will also be the tenth actual championship played under the Viterra sponsorship.
A Labatt Tankard (1993), two Safeway Selects (2001 & 2005), one Safeway Championship (2009), and two Viterra Championships (2016 & 2022) have been played previously in Selkirk.
“The Selkirk Recreation Complex is one of Manitoba’s best curling venues,” says CurlManitoba Executive Director Craig Baker. “That venue has provided great curling and great curling entertainment over about three decades. I am excited to see this current group of competitors playing there.”
“We are delighted to be bringing the Manitoba Men’s Championship back to Selkirk,” say Committee co-chairs Shayne Merritt and Scott Szydlik. “The greatest champions of the modern era won here in Selkirk and we are excited to again host Manitoba’s best. It will be interesting to watch this new generation of young stars play here trying to add their names to that list.”
The first five championships were all played in Selkirk’s arena while the sixth represented the first return to curling club ice in many years. In 2022, the Viterra Championship, due to Covid restrictions, was played as a closed event in the Selkirk Curling Club.
“We truly appreciated the Selkirk Curling Club stepping up to host in that no-spectators, and therefore no revenue, situation,” says Baker. “We have wanted to go back to Selkirk because it is a great venue but also to show our appreciation for their help that year.”
The honour roll of Manitoba champions who won in Selkirk includes:
1993 Vic Peters, Dan Carey, Chris Neufeld, Don Rudd (Granite)
2001 Kerry Burtnyk, Jeff Ryan, Rob Meakin, Keith Fenton (Assiniboine Memorial)
2005 Randy Dutiaume, Dave Elias, Greg Melnichuk, Shane Kilgallen (Valour Road)
2009 Jeff Stoughton, Kevin Park, Rob Fowler, Steve Gould (Charleswood)
2016 Mike McEwen, B. J. Neufeld, Matt Wozniak, Denni Neufeld (Fort Rouge)
2022 Mike McEwen, Reid Carruthers, Derek Samagalski, Colin Hodgson (West St. Paul)
Selkirk will be the first community to host three Viterra Championships. Portage, with this year’s event, has hosted two while Winkler, Virden, Neepawa, Stonewall, and Winnipeg (Charleswood) have each hosted one.
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