SCOTTISH curling scored a spectacular coup with the announcement yesterday that three world and one European championship are to be staged in Scotland by 2020.

Scotland's three Olympic and Paralympic medal-winning skips were on hand to celebrate what is believed is the biggest major championship package announced by any Scottish sport.

The four events, bankrolled by more than £1.6m of partner funding, will begin in 2016 with the European Championships at Braehead, followed by the world juniors at Curl Aberdeen in 2018, world wheelchairs at The Peak, Stirling in 2019 and, finally, the world men's at Glasgow's SSE Hydro in 2020.

The partners are the Royal Caledonian Curling Club, EventScotland, UK Sport, City of Glasgow and the local authorities in Renfrewshire, Aberdeen and Stirling. Kate Caithness, the World Curling Federation president, suggests it gives Scotland an outstanding chance to build the sport around interest generated by the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympic and Paralympics.

The multiple package marks a remarkable long-term commitment to the sport, guaranteeing sustained investment and continuing profile and all of it impossible without Scottish success on the ice. Three medals at the Sochi Olympics and Paralympics, by three all-Scottish teams, was unprecedented. Britain had never previously taken medals in all team disciplines at any previous Games. To mark the occasion, the skips of the three winning rinks: Eve Muirhead (women's bronze), David Murdoch (men's silver), and Aileen Nielson (wheelchair bronze), were present yesterday at a ceremony in Glasgow Hydro to mark the announcement.

The 2009 European Championships in Aberdeen delivered £1m for the Scottish economy and it is hoped that this economic impact will be surpassed by the 2016 Europeans and 2020 worlds. "I think this shows curling in Scotland is just growing and growing on the back of the Olympic Games," said Muirhead. "We did absolutely no harm getting those medals. That's what the sport needed, and it's quite satisfying to see that we have had an impact. I couldn't have seen us getting these four major events without these Olympic performances and if people in Scotland were not as interested in curling.

"I can't think of any sport or any country that has been awarded four major championships like this. It shows confidence that we can also deliver commercially. There's a huge Twitter following: lots of people interested and I hope that spreads to people getting off the couch and watching it live."

Muirhead has just returned from a $25,000 victory in the first Women's Canadian Open in Yorkton. "That [the prize money] is among the four of us," she says. "It's nice - a little bonus before Christmas - so I'll make sure and treat myself in the sales. I guess the family will expect decent Christmas presents."

She admits, though, that the success was "bitter-sweet", for it included two victories over Jennifer Jones, the Canadian skip who denied her a place in the Olympic final this year with a remarkable double take-out. Muirhead said of that moment: "I was gutted. I'm not going to lie about it: probably the most devastating defeat of my life. You train hard for the Olympic final and, unfortunately, we did not make it. Yes, Jennifer played great and, when you see her making all these doubles, it's hard to deal with, but there is nothing you can do. You have to step up and be that little bit better. Unfortunately, we weren't that day. But to come back a few hours later and get the bronze medal finished off a good couple of weeks and a few years' training."

Victory in the Canadian Open, her second in a grand slam tournament, put the Olympic defeat firmly behind her. "These tournaments are as big as the World Championships. They have the 12 best teams in the world and for us to finish the year off winning a grand slam event was phenomenal. In the quarters, semis, and final, we played the best three team in the world - Jennifer Jones [Olympic champion], Valerie Sweeting [Canada Cup winner this winter and previous grand slam winner] and Rachel Homan [world silver and bronze medallist]. So it was a very big win for us.

"We played Jones twice and beat her twice. Losing to her in the Olympic semi-final was tough to take. We were a bit pitiful that week, but to get the win against her - she's a fantastic player and her team are great - just shows we are not giving up. We are always fighting to get better. To beat them once is great but to beat them twice makes it even better."

Is Muirhead getting inside her rival's head: creating a psychological edge for the future? "For years and years we have played each other; it's always such a battle," she says. "Yorkton was a massive battle as well. Them being Olympic champions: they are obviously hungry for more success and it's always hard to get back up and go again. I guess it's the same with us after our Olympic bronze.

You always want to get back to normal, and get that kind of boost. It's tough, but I think we have found it, and I don't know if they are maybe struggling a little bit."

Sarah Reid has replaced Claire Hamilton since the Olympics so to win with a new team underlines how Muirhead's team is developing. "Sarah has been fantastic so far and has fitted in really well. Obviously when you make a big team change, it's going to take a wee while to get bedded in, for her to know how we work, but so far so good, and I'm looking forward to the rest of the season."

Ambitions for 2015 are undimmed . "Our main goal is the Scottish Championships in February - it qualifies us for the worlds in Japan - and for sure a medal at the worlds. Then we'll have a grand slam players' championships in Toronto in mid-April. That would be a great opportunity to get a third major grand slam under our belt."

An accomplished piper and a scratch golfer who turned down golf scholarship in the United States, Muirhead is now 24. She might have expected to do a while lot of other things, and possibly even be married with a family. Does she feel in any way that she has missed out?

"To be an athlete at my level you have to make a lot of choices in your life . . . a lot of people say sacrifices but I believe it's a choice. I guess yes. You have to turn down fun times with friends, to go training, but it's the choice I made."

The bagpipes now stay home. "I don't take them when I travel. I have enough luggage as a girl as it is."