World Women’s Curling Championship a success on and off the ice in Sydney

Competitors, along with families and fans have come from all over the world to Sydney, N.S., for the BKT World Women’s Curling Championship.

During Monday morning’s draw at Centre 200, the teams in action were from New Zealand, Denmark, Turkey, Scotland, Switzerland and Sweden.

The event began Saturday, meaning Monday marked the third day of competition.

Pia Hasselborg is the mother of Swedish curler Anna Hasselborg.

She and her family came across the Atlantic to watch her daughter compete, and to visit a part of the world they had never been to in the past.

"People have been so friendly,” said Pia. “They always say 'Hi, hello, how are you and enjoy your stay.' It's very, very heartwarming."

Many of those in attendance on Monday were students from local schools who were on their first day back from March Break.

While some weren't quite sure what to make of the sport, others recognized it as a pretty large event for Cape Breton.

"It's really big,” said Donovan Doyle, a Grade 10 student at Riverview High School in Coxheath, N.S. “You don't really see many world-massive events here. It's really great to see for the community."

The excitement at the rink is one thing, and the energy around town is another.

The latter comes with a significant economic impact.

The Simon Hotel on the Sydney Waterfront is booked solid all week, which they say is a major bonus during the shoulder season.

"We have probably the best March we've had in years, because of them,” said hotel general manager Michele Bianchini. "We have 300 people in-house, they're going to tell 300 other people, which is the best form of advertising for us."

Curling Canada has estimated that 35,000 fans will be in the seats throughout the week and that impact assessments for the tournament typically come in at a minimum of $6-8 million.

Cape Breton's week in the national spotlight includes up to 40 hours broadcast on TSN, including the gold medal match Sunday afternoon.

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