2021-22 Winter Sports Competitions in Canada
There’s no place like home.
This season, there will be plenty of opportunities for Team Canada athletes to compete on Canadian ice and snow before many of them head to Beijing for the Winter Olympics in February. There are also a few post-Olympic events because, as we all know, winter definitely extends into March!
Check out our list of upcoming winter sports competitions on Canadian soil.
October
Canadian Long Track Championships – Calgary, AB – October 13-17, 2021
Canada’s speed skating stars will hit the ice at Calgary Olympic Oval for the Canadian Long Track Championships starting October 13. The five-day competition will include all the individual distance events (men and women’s 500m, 1000m, 1500m, 5000m and mass start, as well as the women’s 3000m and men’s 10,000m) as Canada’s fastest skaters look to be crowned national champion. Also up for grabs are spots on the World Cup squad, who will head into four events this fall to secure Olympic quota spots for Canada.
Among the names to watch are recent world championship medallists Laurent Debreuil, Ivanie Blondin, Isabelle Weidemann, Ted Jan-Bloemen, Valérie Maltais, Jordan Belchos and Graeme Fish.
Curling Pre-Trials – Liverpool, NS – October 26-31, 2021
Fourteen men’s teams and 14 women’s teams from across Canada take their last shot at qualifying for the Canadian Curling Trials when the Pre-Trials kick off at the Queen’s Place Emera Centre in Liverpool, Nova Scotia. Two teams of each gender will move on from the Pre-Trials to fill out the fields for the Trials where Canada’s Olympic teams for Beijing 2022 will be decided.
Skate Canada International – Vancouver, B.C. – October 29-31, 2021
The ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating series will have its second stop of the season in Vancouver for the 2021 Skate Canada International. Canada has three entries in each of the four disciplines, including reigning world bronze medallists in ice dance, Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier. Skaters are entered in a maximum of two of the six Grand Prix events as they aim to qualify for the Grand Prix Final in December.
November
Canadian Curling Trials – Saskatoon, SK – November 20-28, 2021
Who will represent Team Canada in men’s and women’s curling at the Olympics? Find out at the Canadian Curling Trials in Saskatoon, where nine teams of each gender will be competing for their tickets to Beijing 2022.
Among the contenders are the reigning national champions Team Brendan Bottcher and Team Kerri Einarson. But there are also many skips who already have Olympic experience, including Rachel Homan, Jennifer Jones, Brad Gushue, Brad Jacobs and Kevin Koe. You won’t want to miss watching one of the most intense curling competitions there is.
FIS Alpine World Cup (Men’s Downhill and Super-G) – Lake Louise, AB – November 26-28, 2021
After the COVID-19 pandemic led to the cancellation of the traditional first event of the World Cup speed season in 2020, it is back on the calendar in 2021. There will be three days of official training followed by two downhills and a super-G in one of the most picturesque ski resorts around.
December
FIS Alpine World Cup (Women’s Downhill and Super-G) – Lake Louise, AB – December 3-5, 2021
After the men move out, the women move in for their first speed event stop of the World Cup season. This also features three days of training leading up to two downhills and a super-G. As with the men, results throughout the season will count towards Olympic qualification for Beijing 2022.
ISU Speed Skating World Cup – Calgary, AB – December 10-12, 2021
The ISU World Cup’s fourth stop of the season will be in Calgary where the world’s top skaters will hit the ice at Calgary Olympic Oval. This is the final World Cup that will count towards determining how many entries Canada will have in each event at the Olympics in February.
2022 IIHF World Junior Championship – Edmonton & Red Deer, AB – December 26, 2021 – January 5, 2022
For the second straight year, the IIHF World Junior Championship will be hosted on Canadian ice in Edmonton and Red Deer, Alberta. Kicking off on Boxing Day, Team Canada’s rising hockey superstars will hope to return to world junior glory after winning the title in 2020.
Long Track Olympic Skate-Off – Quebec City, QC – December 27-31, 2021
With Canada’s total number of Olympic quota spots known by this time, the Olympic Skate-Off in Quebec City will present Canadian speed skaters one final chance to earn themselves a spot on the Olympic team.
FIS Freestyle Ski World Cup (Halfpipe) – Calgary, AB – December 30, 2021 – January 1, 2022
The second halfpipe stop of the World Cup season will include two events each for men and women. Might it be a very happy start to the new year for reigning Olympic champion Cassie Sharpe at Canada Olympic Park?
January
FIS Snowboard World Cup (Slopestyle and Big Air) – Calgary, AB – January 1-2, 2022
Just one month out from Beijing 2022 and two weeks before the close of the Olympic qualification period, some of the world’s best snowboarders will hit Canada Olympic Park in Calgary where slopestyle and big air events will be on tap. You might recall that Canada has some pretty strong competitors in these events, including Olympic medallists Max Parrot, Mark McMorris, Sébastien Toutant and Laurie Blouin.
Canadian Tire National Skating Championships – Ottawa, ON – January 6-13, 2022
Canada’s top figure skaters will make a stop in the nation’s capital on their journey to the Winter Olympics. Though the national championships are the last part of the team selection process for Beijing 2022, it’s not just about the senior skaters. This week will also see national champions crowned at the junior and novice levels, giving us a glimpse at some potential future Olympians.
FIS Freestyle Ski World Cup (Aerials) – Le Relais, QC – January 5, 2022
Freestyle skiers will catch some serious air in Le Relais, Quebec on the third stop of the World Cup circuit.
FIS Freestyle Ski World Cup (Moguls) – Tremblant, QC – January 7-8, 2022
The World Cup circuit returns to the ski resort north of Montreal after not travelling there last season. The king of moguls, Mikaël Kingsbury, has been on the podium in Tremblant three straight years, including back-to-back wins in 2019 and 2020. The reigning world champion would like to be en route to his 10th Crystal Globe while competing in front of the home fans.
FIS Ski Cross World Cup – Nakiska, AB – January 13-15, 2022
This is the last ski cross World Cup to count towards Olympic qualification. It was in Nakiska that Reece Howden earned his first World Cup victory in January 2020. Last season he stood atop the ski cross world by winning the Crystal Globe.
FIS Snowboard World Cup – Le Massif, QC – January 28-29, 2022
Canada’s snowboard cross team will compete on home snow just before heading over to Beijing for the Winter Olympics. One athlete to keep an eye on is Eliot Grondin, the reigning world bronze medallist.
Tournament of Hearts – Thunder Bay, ON – January 28 – February 6, 2022
Sixteen women’s teams from across Canada will compete for the national title at Fort William Gardens in Thunder Bay. The winner of the tournament will wear the maple leaf at the 2022 World Women’s Curling Championship in Prince George, B.C.
March
Brier – Lethbridge, AB – March 4-13, 2022
Following the Tournament of Hearts, Canada’s best men’s curling teams will have their chance to compete to represent Canada at the World Men’s Curling Championship when the 2022 Brier begins at the Enmax Centre.
ISU World Short Track Speed Skating Championships – Montreal, QC – March 18-20, 2022
Less than a month after Beijing 2022, the world’s top short trackers will go to Montreal for the world championships. The last post-Olympics world championships in 2018 were also hosted in Montreal where Charles Hamelin was crowned overall world champion for the first time in his career.
World Women’s Curling Championship – Prince George, B.C. – March 19-27, 2022
World-class curling action doesn’t stop at the Olympics this year. Curling teams from across the globe will gather at the CN Centre in Prince George, B.C. Prince George was originally set to host in 2020, but the event was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
