The mixed doubles tandem that will be representing Canada at the Beijing Olympics will be decided in Portage la Prairie.

Curling Canada announced today that the Canad Inns Canadian Mixed Doubles Curling Trials will return to Stride Place Dec. 28-Jan. 2. Four years ago, at the inaugural event in Portage, Kaitlyn Lawes and John Morris prevailed and then went on to claim gold at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, where mixed doubles curling made its debut as an Olympic medal sport.

"Portage la Prairie did a superb job hosting the first Canad Inns Canadian Mixed Doubles Trials four years ago, so it was an easy decision to bring the event back to Stride Place," said Amy Nixon, Chair of Curling Canada’s Board of Governors. "Portage la Prairie has proven repeatedly that it can put on top-calibre curling championships, and I'm positive the city will show its support for these Olympic hopefuls."

Sixteen teams will be competing in Portage - six of which have already qualified, including the top two finishers at the 2021 Home Hardware Canadian Mixed Doubles Championship gold-medallists Kerri Einarson and Brad Gushue and silver-medallists Kadriana Sahaidak and Colton Lott.

Also in the field are the top four finishers - as of May 1, 2020 - in the 2019-20 Canadian Mixed Doubles Rankings: Jocelyn Peterman and Brett Gallant, Jennifer Jones and Brent Laing, Nancy Martin and Tyrel Griffith, and Rachel Homan and John Morris. The remaining 10 berths will be decided this fall.

"The City of Portage la Prairie is very excited to be hosting this world-class event at Stride Place," says Portage la Prairie Mayor Irvine Ferris. "We look forward to welcoming curling fans and curlers from across Canada in December."

A fourth-place finish by Einarson and Gushue at the 2021 World Mixed Doubles Championship last month in Aberdeen, Scotland, clinched Canada’s berth in the 10-team mixed doubles field in Beijing. The event will follow the 2021 Tim Hortons Canadian Curling Trials in Saskatoon, where Canada’s four-player men’s and women’s teams for Beijing will be decided. Members of Canada’s Olympic four-player teams won’t be eligible to compete in the Canada Inns Canadian Mixed Doubles Trials because of the rigours of the Olympic curling schedule.

"It seems that curling fans and volunteers in Manitoba step up every four years for events such as the 2013 Tim Hortons Roar of the Rings in Winnipeg and the 2018 Canad Inns Canadian Mixed Doubles Trials, and we all know what the winning teams did in both Sochi and Pyeongchang," said Craig Baker, Executive Director of CurlManitoba. "We hope Manitoba continues to provide our Canadian team with a bit of luck heading into what is sure to be a thrilling curling season. We're proud that our province will be part of the excitement."

Stride Place, which opened in 2010, has 1,675 seats in its main arena.