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Turkish team no-shows opening ceremony at world men’s curling championship

Apr 1, 2023 | 12:59 PM

OTTAWA — Turkey’s first appearance at a world men’s curling championship is off to an inauspicious start.

The team no-showed the event’s opening ceremony on Saturday afternoon at TD Place.

Curlers from the rest of the 13-team field were on hand for introductions to kick off the nine-day competition. 

With no Turkish players present, the in-arena host simply announced the name of the country and the flag-bearer walked out alone. 

In an email, a World Curling Federation spokeswoman said the Turkish curlers “just didn’t show up for the opening.” There were no plans for a fine or disciplinary action, she added.

Ugurcan Karagoz is skipping the Turkey team, which is scheduled to kick off its round-robin schedule Saturday night against Japan.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 1, 2023. 

Follow @GregoryStrongCP on Twitter.

Gregory Strong, The Canadian Press

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