The event will take place between April 23 and 29, the World Curling Federation (WCF) and the Turkish Curling Association have announced. 

The event will take place at 1,000 seat Milli Piyango Curling Hall which was the purpose-built venue for the Winter Universiade, held there in January earlier this year.

"The World Curling Federation is delighted to announce that the World Mixed Doubles Curling Championship will be held in Erzurum in 2012," said WCF President Kate Caithness.

"Since the Turkish Curling Association joined WCF in 2009, Turkey has shown considerable commitment to the establishing the sport of curling in the country.

"Following on from the resounding success of the curling competition at the 2011 Winter Universiade, we expect the 2012 Mixed Doubles Championship to be another first class event."

It will be the fifth World Mixed Doubles Curling Championship since it Inaugurated in Vierumaki, Finland, in 2008.

Erzurum, which served as NATO's southeastern-most air force post during the Cold War, is situated 1,757 meters (5,766 feet) above sea level and located in Eastern Anatolia.

"We are very proud to be the host country of 2012 World Mixed Doubles Curling Championship," said Fahrettin Kandemir President of the Turkish Curling Association.

"Curling has only been played in Turkey for two years and the Universiade 2011 was the very first international curling competition held in Erzurum.

"We have achieved very good results during these first two years for the development of curling known as 'ice chess' in Turkey.

"We strongly believe that organising these events serve to develop the sport further.

"We look forward to welcoming the curling family to Erzurum in April 2012."

Instead of playing in teams of four, mixed doubles curling is for teams of two players – one male and one female.

In total 24 nations participated at the 2011 World Championship in St Paul in Minnesota in the United States. 

Switzerland secured a third gold medal in the disciplinewhen Sven Michel and Alina Pätz beat Russia's Alexey Tselousov and Alina Kovaleva in the final 11-2.

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