NEWS RELEASE

Canada’s 2010 Olympic Team to Battle the World’s Best at BDO Classic Canadian Open

Elite field features nine World Championship and Olympic medal winning skips 

WINNIPEG, December 17, 2009 – Team Kevin Martin (Edmonton, Alta.), Canada’s 2010 Olympic representative, heads an elite field of 18 foursomes who qualified to compete in the BDO Classic Canadian Open, the third leg of the men’s 2009-10 Capital One Grand Slam of Curling series, taking place from January 20-24, 2010 at the MTS Centre in Winnipeg, Man.

 The BDO Classic Canadian Open is last major international curling event prior to the 2010 Olympic Winter Games and is in support of the Children’s Hospital Foundation of Manitoba.

 Among the Canadian teams that will take to the ice at the MTS Centre include World Championship medallists Martin, Glenn Howard (Coldwater, Ont.), Randy Ferbey (Edmonton, Alta.), Jeff Stoughton (Winnipeg, Man.), Wayne Middaugh (Etobicoke, Ont.), Jean-Michel Ménard (Quebec City, Que.), Kerry Burtnyk (Winnipeg, Man.) as well as Olympic gold medallist Brad Gushue (St. John’s, Nfld.).

In addition to Canada’s 2010 Olympic team, the field for the BDO Classic Canadian Open will include 2010 Olympic qualifiers Thomas Ulsrud (Oslo, Norway), a three-time World Championship bronze medallist, and John Shuster (Duluth, Minnesota), a member of the United States’ 2006 Olympic bronze medal winning team.

 A total of four Manitoba-based teams will also compete in the event including Stoughton, Burtnyk, Mike McEwen (Winnipeg, Man.) and Jason Gunnlaugson (Beausejour, Man.).

 The top 16 teams in the Capital One Order of Merit rankings, regardless of nationality, following the completion of World Curling Tour events on December 14 automatically qualified to compete in the BDO Classic Canadian Open.  The tournament’s final two entries were awarded to the Canadian and American 2010 Olympic qualifiers.

 Gunnlaugson and Chris Schille (Edmonton, Alta.) were added to the field after reigning World Champion and ninth ranked David Murdoch (Lockerbie, Scotland), and 12th ranked Ralph Stoeckli (Ittigen, Switzerland), declined due to scheduling conflicts with the Scottish and Swiss Nationals respectively.

 In the event of a team being unable to compete at the event, Capital One Grand Slam of Curling series guidelines state that invitations will be extended to the highest remaining teams in the Capital One Order of Merit standings. A complete list of the Capital One Order of merit rankings as of December 14 can be found by clicking here.

 The following is a list of the 18 teams which will compete at the BDO Classic Canadian Open.  The event features a total purse of $100,000 (CDN).

Individual draw tickets and ticket packages to the BDO Classic Canadian Open are available at all Ticketmaster locations, by phone at (204) 780-333, or online at www.ticketmaster.ca.

As part of the festivities surrounding the tournament, the BDO Classic Canadian Open will once again host the finals of the Capital One Million Dollar Button, a national contest where one lucky Canadian will win the chance to throw a rock to the button for $1 million (CDN), live on CBC Television during Sunday’s championship game.

 The BDO Classic Canadian Open is also the second event in the men’s annual Capital One Cup points race. The Capital One Cup is a season long competition that provides each team with a point value based on their performance during selected Capital One Grand Slam of Curling events. At the conclusion of the season, the top three men’s and women’s teams which record the highest cumulative results during selected 2009-10 Capital One Grand Slam of Curling events will split a purse totalling $170,000 (CDN).

 For an overview of the point system and prize money for the 2009-10 Capital One Cup, visit www.grandslamofcurling.com.

 Held annually since 2001-02, the Capital One Grand Slam of Curling features the world’s best players in one series.

As part of its exclusive agreement, CBC will air live playoff coverage of the first three men’s 2009-10 Capital One Grand Slam of Curling events.  CBC will also broadcast the men’s and women’s finals of the 2010 Grey Power Players’ Championship.

 About BDO
BDO Dunwoody LLP is Canada's sixth largest accounting services and advisory firm. Our team serves a highly diverse clientele, which includes owner-managed businesses, large enterprises, mid-market public companies, community organizations, not-for-profit agencies, and professional firms. From agriculture to real estate, technology to union pensions, and aboriginal communities to municipalities, the professionals at BDO Dunwoody have the expertise to handle any business sector. BDO Dunwoody LLP is a Member Firm of BDO International. BDO International is a global network of public accounting firms, called BDO Member Firms, serving international clients. The network is comprised of 95 Member Firms in 107 countries, with over 30,000 professionals on staff in over 600 offices worldwide to take on a multitude of services. For more information visit www.bdo.ca.

About Children’s Hospital Foundation of Manitoba

Since 1971, the Children’s Hospital Foundation has been raising funds for the specialized needs of child health care in Manitoba. Each year the Foundation commits over $5 million towards equipment and programs at the Children’s Hospital of Winnipeg and life-saving pediatric research at the Manitoba Institute of Child Health. The Foundation’s goal is to provide the 130,000 kids that are treated each year at Children’s Hospital with the very best medical care possible…because children need us! 

About Capital One

Located in Toronto, Ontario, Capital One has offered Canadian consumers a range of competitive MasterCard® credit cards since 1996, when the company first introduced the Platinum MasterCard® in Canada.  Capital One Canada is a division of Capital One Bank, a subsidiary of Capital One Financial Corporation of McLean, Virginia (NYSE: COF).

About iSport Media and Management
iSport Media and Management is Canada's leading athlete, digital media and event sponsorship company.  iSport specializes in:

• World class athlete representation in marketing, media and sponsorships
• Leading edge digital media strategies and operations
• Event development, execution and sponsorship sales
• Sport Federation sponsorship sales and strategic counsel. 

For more information visit www.isportmedia.com.

For additional information, please contact:

Eric Michalko
Marketing & Communications Director
Wendy Kane & Associates
Office: (416) 792-5450
Cell: (416) 669-2401
eric@wendykane.com