Nixon, part of the Canadian rink which finished third at the 2006 Winter Olympic Games in Turin, will complete Minken's term and will serve in the role until the end of the season.

Minken had been elected chair in September 2020 but has decided to step down for personal reasons, Curling Canada said.

"First of all, on behalf of the Board and staff of Curling Canada, I truly want to thank Mitch for his hard work on behalf of the sport of curling, both during his time with the Board and for his years of volunteering in Saskatchewan," said Nixon, who was appointed to the World Curling Federation Nominations Committee in December.

"As an organisation, we are coming out of what must be described as both the most challenging and most rewarding in our history, and we can take a great deal of pride in what we’ve accomplished in these difficult times. 

"By continuing to work together, we will take our sport to greater heights in Canada, and I look forward to being a part of it."

Canada staged both the men's and women's World Curling Championships this year using bubble formats designed to protect participants from the risks posed by COVID-19.

Calgary stepped in to host the tournaments, which had been due to take place in Ottawa and Schaffhausen, respectively.