By Yuta Matsumura and Daia Koyano
With the first half of the Olympic Qualification Event (OQE) — the four-player competition — now complete, Japan’s women’s team secured qualification for the Olympic Games for the eighth consecutive time. In contrast, the men’s team narrowly missed out, falling just short of a third Olympic appearance after reaching the final qualification match.
This tournament clearly highlighted both the current standing of Japanese curling and the challenges that lie ahead.
Women: Yoshimura turns adversity into strength on the road to Olympic qualification
Japan opened the tournament in ideal fashion against the United States, scoring two points with the hammer in the first end and cruising to an 8–4 victory. A win over Germany followed, setting the stage for the third match against Australia.
In that match, adversity struck when third player Kaho Onodera was forced to sit out due to lower back pain. However, alternate Mina Kobayashi stepped in as second and delivered a remarkable performance, recording a 90 per cent shooting percentage. United by the challenge, the team overcame the setback together.
Victories over Czechia and Türkiye extended Japan’s winning streak to five, securing a top-three finish and a place in the playoffs. Kobayashi again took the ice against Estonia, contributing to another win. Although Japan fell to Norway in an extra end in the final round-robin match, they advanced in second place.
The decisive Olympic qualification match against Norway was a tense battle that went down to the final end. Holding the hammer, Japan sat first and second as Norway delivered the last rock. Norway’s final stone failed to beat Japan’s shot stone, sealing the victory and confirming Japan’s Olympic qualification.
At the moment of victory, the team erupted in celebration, followed by a symbolic gesture of shooting an imaginary arrow toward Italy — a powerful expression of determination and readiness for the next stage. In the decisive match, Yuna Kotani recorded a 90 per cent shooting percentage, while Onodera posted an astonishing 99 per cent. Once again, the women’s consistency stood out throughout the tournament.
After missing out on the Beijing Olympics, the team endured a difficult period marked by the loss of its main sponsor and uncertainty surrounding the team’s future. Yet they refused to stop moving forward, rebuilding through their own efforts and returning stronger than before.
For skip Yoshimura, this marked her fifth Olympic qualification attempt since first entering the Olympic race in high school. Through persistence and years of striving, she finally earned her long-awaited Olympic appearance. Onodera will compete in her second Olympics since Sochi 2014, while lead Anna Ohmiya returns for her second Games since Vancouver 2010.
Men: Strong adjustments, but Olympic dream slips away in final match
Japan’s men opened the tournament with a loss to the United States, an uneasy start that exposed early issues. Fourth player Riku Yanagisawa reflected, “We were completely outplayed, and we couldn’t quite read the ice.”
The team responded quickly, regaining momentum with consecutive wins over the Netherlands, Poland, and South Korea. However, a painful loss followed against the Philippines, where Japan conceded a steal in the final end while trailing by one point.
Facing elimination with a 3–2 record, Japan showed resilience with victories over New Zealand and China, capped by a 9–6 win over China in the final round-robin match, to secure third place and advance to the playoffs. Notably, Japan had now beaten China three times this season, making the matchup appear favorable heading into the decisive match.
China, however, made a significant strategic adjustment. After the opening end, they abandoned corner guards and adopted a highly defensive approach, deliberately limiting stones in play to prevent Japan from taking control — a clear response to previous defeats.
Japan fell behind early, conceding two points in the opening end, and slipped further in the fifth after unforced errors led to another two-point end for China. Despite battling back to trail by just one point heading into the ninth end, Japan was ultimately outmatched by China’s precise shot-making, as China scored four in that end to put the game out of reach.
Reflecting on the loss, lead Satoshi Koizumi said, “We should have moved the stones more and built the house earlier to create more rocks in play.” Japan appeared a step slow in adapting to China’s tactical shift.
The current state of Japanese curling and the road ahead
While curling remains a niche sport in Japan, each Olympic cycle brings new fans and increased visibility. Reaching the Olympic stage every four years carries immense significance for the growth of the sport.
On the women’s side, Japan has established a strong presence on the world stage, with a growing number of teams competing at the highest level, highlighted by medals at the past two Olympic Games and four teams on the Grand Slam circuit — clear evidence of sustained competitiveness.
The men’s side, however, has qualified for the Olympics only once outside of a host-nation appearance and has yet to produce a regular Grand Slam contender. Although recognition and competitive strength are steadily improving, success on the biggest stage remains essential. Missing this opportunity is a significant setback, one that reflects structural challenges facing Japanese men’s curling as a whole, rather than the shortcomings of a single team.
Japan’s curling scene is undoubtedly growing, but the pace of global development is even faster. To join the world’s elite, it may be time to reassess competitive structures and development strategies.
It is no coincidence that all nations earning Olympic qualification ranked highly in the World Curling Tour Rankings (WCTR). Regular participation in top-level tours and sustained competition against the world’s best are increasingly the most direct route to the Olympics.
As more Japanese teams gain the ability to compete internationally, the key question becomes how many can develop into squads capable of winning consistently on tour. The future of Japanese curling depends on the answer.
Both the women’s and men’s teams delivered performances that stirred emotions and captivated fans. What they delivered was a source of pride, and they deserve deep respect for the effort and resolve built over years of commitment.
This tournament clearly revealed both achievements and challenges: the women’s consistent strength, and the men’s sobering encounter with the level of the world’s elite at close range. Together, these experiences form an essential part of the continued growth of Japanese curling. Carrying both the joy of victory and the sting of defeat, the sport moves forward and, in doing so, opens the way to a new future.
