For only the fifth time in over 100 years, the Manitoba Men’s Curling Championship will have a new title sponsor when the event takes place at Selkirk Recreation Complex on February 3-8, 2026.
As a result of Viterra’s successful business combination with Bunge, the former Viterra Championship will become the Bunge Championship for 2026.
Bunge is only the fifth title sponsor in the history of the men’s championship event.
“We are extremely pleased to have Bunge carry forward the great relationship which we have developed with Viterra,” says Craig Baker, Executive Director of CurlManitoba. “We have always felt that Manitoba curling has an international stature and that is only enhanced by Bunge’s international name recognition.”
"We're excited to continue our partnership with CurlManitoba, which is a great opportunity to support one of the province’s premier sporting events, as well as local talent from across its communities,” said Kyle Jeworski, head of Canada, Bunge. “Most importantly, the values exhibited by our curlers – integrity, respect for others, and teamwork – are qualities that are shared by our employees as they work to provide our farm customers with superior service.”
Competitors will not just have a new name in Selkirk but a new format as well. The 24-team competition will be played as a triple knock-out. Six teams will advance to the playoffs.
“A change of format has been under consideration by our competitions committee for a few years and the time is now right to make the change,” Baker says. “We celebrated 100 years of men’s championship competition last year in Portage. There were decades of tradition in the former 32-team format and our committee, who are all competitors themselves, wanted to respect that tradition as we celebrated 100 years.”
Six of the first 100 Manitoba Men’s Championships were played in Selkirk. Most recently, the 2022 championship was played in the Selkirk Curling Club and won by Mike McEwen. Prior to that McEwen’s team had also won in 2016 in the Selkirk Recreation Complex. Previous arena championships in Selkirk were played in 2009 (won by Jeff Stoughton), 2005 (won by Randy Dutiaume), 2001 (won by Kerry Burtnyk), and 1993 (won by Vic Peters).
About Bunge
At Bunge (NYSE: BG), our purpose is to connect farmers to consumers to deliver essential food, feed and fuel to the world. As a premier agribusiness solutions provider, our team of ~37,000 dedicated employees partner with farmers across the globe to move agricultural commodities from where they’re grown to where they’re needed—in faster, smarter, and more efficient ways. We are a world leader in grain origination, storage, distribution, oilseed processing and refining, offering a broad portfolio of plant-based oils, fats, and proteins. We work alongside our customers at both ends of the value chain to deliver quality products and develop tailored, innovative solutions that address evolving consumer needs. With 200+ years of experience and presence in over 50 countries, we are committed to strengthening global food security, advancing sustainability, and helping communities prosper where we operate. Bunge has its registered office in Geneva, Switzerland and its corporate headquarters in St. Louis, Missouri.
For information, media may contact:
Craig Baker, CurlManitoba Executive Director
cbaker@curlmanitoba.org
Cell: 204.791.2204 Office: 204.925.5725