Canadian curler tells Air Canada he’s ‘broomless’ after equipment ‘missing’ for Geneva championship

Wayne Middaugh at the 2021 Tim Hortons Brier in Calgary. Photo by Michael Burns /Curling Canada

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Canadian curler Wayne Middaugh reached out to Air Canada after arriving in Geneva, Switzerland, for the World Mixed Doubles and World Senior Curling Championships short of equipment.

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Adding the hashtag #broomlessinGeneva, Middaugh sent a message via X to Air Canada on Thursday, writing: “It’s been 2 days and Team Canada competing at World Championships is still missing equipment. Called. Emailed. Started claim. Can somebody please help find our equipment.”

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In a statement to National Post on Friday, an Air Canada spokesperson said: “Our records indicate that the customer’s baggage was returned to him in Geneva this morning. We understand how important it is for baggage to arrive with customers, and make every effort to ensure this occurs.”

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The spokesperson added: “This regrettable situation arose because the customer was rerouted from his original itinerary after it became apparent he was going to miss a connection to Geveva through Montreal. We wanted to transport him so he would arrive at destination as close to the originally scheduled time as possible, so he was instead connected through Zurich.

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“Unfortunately, due to the tight schedule, we were unable to redirect his baggage in time. We regret the delay and are following up directly with the customer.”

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Middaugh is a three-time world champion (1993, 1998 and 2012) and has competed in ten Briers between 1991 and 2021. He has also won seven Skins Game, an annual event hosted by The Sports Network until 2019, and five World Curling Tour Players’ Championships between 1995 and 2013.

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In 2016 Middaugh broke his leg in a skiing accident, which curtailed his active playing career but convinced him to move into a coaching role. “Coaching covers my addiction. I love the game,” he told TSN in 2020, the same year he was inducted into the Canadian Curling Hall of Fame.

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Canada’s Kadriana and Colton Lott are competing in their second World Mixed Doubles Championship, having finished fifth in 2024 in Oestersund, Sweden. They earned their spot this year by winning the 2025 Canadian Mixed Doubles Championship in Summerside, P.E.I.

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In the seniors’ championships, Bruce Korte heads the men’s team and hopes to win Canada’s seventh straight title, while Sherry Middaugh (wife of Wayne) returns after a second-place finish last year. Her team includes Karri-Lee Grant, Melissa Foster, Jane Hooper Perroud and Marilyn Bodogh. Wayne Middaugh is coaching the women’s team.

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Canada’s women’s team plays its first match Saturday at 3 a.m. ET against the Philippines. The men’s team’s first match is Sunday at 2 a.m. against Nigeria.

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National Post has reached out to Wayne and Sherry Middaugh for more information.

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