Karuizawa International Curling Championships
Curling competition
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The Karuizawa International Curling Championships is a curling bonspiel held annually since the Olympic Games in Nagano at the SCAP Karuizawa Arena in Kariuzawa, Japan. The bonspiel is held to commemorate the curling event at the 1998 Nagano Olympics, the first official curling event in the Olympic programme since the 1924 Winter Olympics. It is also held to help promote curling throughout Japan.[1] The event was part of the World Curling Tour from 2014 to 2019.
| Karuizawa International Curling Championships | |
|---|---|
| Organizer | Sports Community Karuizawa Club |
| Established | 1999 |
| Host city | Karuizawa, Japan |
| Arena | Karuizawa Ice Park |
| Website | karuizawa-icurling |
| Men's purse | ¥ 1,500,000 |
| Women's purse | ¥ 1,500,000 |
| Current champions (2026) | |
| Men |  Shinya Abe |
| Women |  Anna Hasselborg |
| Current edition | |
Format
Current format
A total of 16 teams (8 men's and 8 women's teams) are invited each year to participate in the championship. The teams play a two-pool round robin tournament with games of eight ends, and the top two teams in each pool advancing to the playoff round.[1]
Previous format
Prior to 2013, a total of 16 teams (8 men's and 8 women's teams) were invited each year to participate in the championship. Five teams of each gender were chosen from foreign nations based on performances at the most recent World Curling Championships, while three teams were chosen from within Japan. The teams were chosen as follows:
The eight teams of each gender played a round robin tournament with games of eight ends, and the top four teams of each gender played ten-end games in the final round.
Champions (1999-2009)
| Year | Men's winner | Women's winner |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 |  Bob Turcotte | Cathy Borst |
| 2000 |  Makoto Tsuruga | Sherry Fraser |
| 2001 |  Markku Uusipaavalniemi | Nancy Smith |
| 2002 | Greg Monkman | Margaretha Lindahl |
| 2003 |  Paul Pustovar |  Manuela Kormann |
| 2004 | Brian Gessner | Cheryl Bernard |
| 2005 | Pat Simmons | Moe Meguro |
| 2006 | Ryan Fry | Crystal Rumberg |
| 2007 | Craig Disher | Jo-Ann Rizzo |
| 2008 | Joel Jordison | Yukako Tsuchiya |
| 2009 | Bob Ursel | Manuela Kormann |
Past Champions (since 2010)
Notes
- Selection teams recommended by Japan Curling Association