The Curling World Cup Suzhou 2018-19, the first session of a new annual four-leg event initiated by World Curling Federation last year, kicked off at Suzhou Olympic Sports Centre (SZOSC), SIP on Sept 12 and will last till Sept 16. A total of 24 teams from 10 countries and regions including China, Sweden, Norway, Switzerland, Russia, the Republic of Korea, Japan, the United States, Canada and Scotland participate.

The opening ceremony included performances by Suzhou Symphony Orchestra and local Kunqu opera (one of the oldest forms of Chinese opera) and pingtan (storytelling and ballad singing in Suzhou dialect) troupes, demonstrating distinctive local cultural characteristics.

It is noteworthy that the Curling World Cup is the first competitive sports event held at the newly completed SZOSC gymnasium which has a 1,500-sqm high-standard ice arena tailored for the event.