Maritime curlers upset by Brier changes

Many curlers across the Maritimes are upset the 2015 Brier is being limited to 12 teams, even though there are 14 teams eligible to participate.

Wayne Tallon, of Fredericton, who is the reigning Men's Senior World Curling Champion, says all provinces and territories should be represented at the national championship.

Up until now, winning provincially would have mean advancing to the Brier automatically.

But the Canadian Curling Association has changed the rules.

Tallon says that means teams from smaller provinces that can't field as strong a team will have to compete in a pre-tournament for the last spots at the Brier.

"It's up to us as players and competitors to convince the CCA that it is important to us that when we're competing for a national championship, that everybody has an opportunity to play, and just show them that there is more to it than just the contracts," he said.

The Canadian Curling Association has said it had to make the change after adding Team Canada and Nunavut to the competition. The association and broadcaster TSN wanted to keep the competition to a 12-team round robin, and the qualifier was the way to do it.

"This is not a participation event," CCA's director of communications, Al Cameron, has said.

"This is an elite level event that leads to a world championship" and only the best teams should play.

The qualifying round will be held immediately before the Brier itself, which starts on Feb. 28 in Calgary.