The concept involves eight teams where the world's best curlers were randomly drawn to create squads with a mix of different nationalities, according to an official. This mini-tournament is seen as a potential start for a new type of professional league in curling that offers something new, the official added. The exact name of the league, the location and dates of the tournament, and the number of participating teams or players have not been disclosed, nor have the results or future plans for the league been confirmed.
Notable players participated, including Olympic champions. Agnes Knochenhauer, who normally plays for Team Hasselborg—the gold medal-winning team at the Olympics earlier this year—took part, an official said. She played alongside Brad Jacobs, the captain of the Canadian Olympic team, in the new league format, according to the official.
According to SVT Sport, Knochenhauer said the experience grew on her during the week, as she arrived unsure of how it would unfold. She also noted it was special because she is both best friends and teammates with her other teammates in Team Hasselborg, SVT Sport reported. The background includes recent Olympic tensions between Swedish and Canadian teams.
During the Olympics, the Swedish men's Team Edin started arguing with Canada's team after Team Edin, where Oskar Eriksson was the one who spoke up, accused Canada of cheating, an official stated. According to SVT Sport, Knochenhauer expressed her allegiance by saying she supports Eriksson with pride, and that Brad Jacobs knows this as they have discussed it.