Japan’s women’s curling team Fortius (skip: Yoshimura Sayaka) have booked their ticket to the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games. At the Olympic Qualification Event 2025 in Kelowna, Canada, they defeated Norway 6–5 in the first women’s play-off game to secure the very first Olympic berth from the event – and extend Japan’s streak to eight consecutive Olympic appearances since Nagano 1998.
Just a day earlier, Japan had suffered a come-from-behind loss to the same Norway side in the final round-robin game. In the play-off they earned the perfect revenge, turning the disappointment of the previous night into joy and an Olympic ticket.
Game summary: a tight 6–5 battle decided by patience
The game began with hammer to Norway, who opened the scoring with a single point in the first end. Japan trailed 0–1 and were forced to chase from early on.
In the second end, with last stone, Yoshimura drew successfully to the four-foot to score two, turning the score to 2–1 in Japan’s favour. However, in the third end Norway’s fourth player Kristin Skaslien executed a take-out for two, and Japan slipped behind again at 2–3.
Japan hit back with a single in the fourth to level at 3–3. In the fifth, Skaslien’s final stone came up slightly short, giving Japan a steal of one and their lead back at 4–3.
The sixth end saw Norway respond with one to tie the game at 4–4. The seventh was blanked, setting up a tense finish. In the eighth, Yoshimura once again delivered a precise draw to secure a single and edge Japan ahead 5–4.
In the ninth end Norway had a realistic chance to score two, but Skaslien’s last stone was slightly heavy and they were limited to just one point. The score moved to 5–5, with Japan keeping the hammer into the tenth.
In the final end Japan carefully built a house that left them lying one with their last stone still in hand. When Norway’s final shot came up short, Japan did not even need to throw their last rock – victory was sealed at 6–5, completing a perfect revenge win over the team that had beaten them the night before.
“We showed everything we had prepared” – Yoshimura’s words after the win
According to the official report on the World Curling website, Yoshimura described the game as “tough” but said that, when the win was secured, she felt the team had truly shown everything they had worked on. The performance in Kelowna was the result of detailed preparation and the experience built up over many international events.
Speaking to Japanese media, Yoshimura also showed her side as a mother. Having chased the Olympic stage since her high school days, she finally reached the Games at the fifth attempt. She said that when she returns home she wants to tell her two-year-old son, “Mum did her best,” calling the qualification “a slightly early birthday present” for him.
Team Fortius consists of Skip: Yoshimura Sayaka, Third: Onodera Kaho, Second / Vice-skip: Kotani Yuna, Lead: Ohmiya Anna, Alternate: Kobayashi Mina and Coach: Funayama Yumie. It is a line-up that blends players who have long supported Japanese women’s curling with a newer generation – and this time that mixture has produced the ticket to Milano Cortina.
Tournament overview: what is the Olympic Qualification Event 2025?
The Olympic Qualification Event 2025 is being held at the Kelowna Curling Club in Kelowna, Canada, from 5–18 December. It features three disciplines – women’s, men’s and mixed doubles – and serves as the final chance for National Olympic Committees (NOCs) to earn the remaining two Olympic spots in each event for Milano Cortina 2026.
In the women’s competition eight countries took part: Japan, Norway, United States, Germany, Türkiye, Estonia, Australia and Czechia. Following a seven-game round-robin, the top three teams advanced to the play-offs, where they battled for the two coveted Olympic berths.
Final women’s standings (Olympic Qualification Event 2025 / Kelowna)
The table below is based on the official World Curling live scores “Final Standings: Women”.
| Rank | Team | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Japan (JPN) | Beat Norway 6–5 in first play-off to claim the first Milano Cortina 2026 spot |
| 2 | United States (USA) | Defeated Norway in the final play-off to secure the second Olympic berth |
| 3 | Norway (NOR) | Finished first in round robin but lost both play-off games |
| 4 | Germany (GER) | Missed out on play-offs but climbed the table with wins in the latter stages |
| 5 | Türkiye (TUR) | Stayed in the play-off race until the middle of the event |
| 6 | Estonia (EST) | Young team gaining valuable experience on the international stage |
| 7 | Australia (AUS) | Showed good fight against strong opposition despite not converting to wins |
| 8 | Czechia (CZE) | Closed the event on a high note with a first win in the final game |
*Standings compiled from World Curling’s official live scores (Final Standings: Women).
Related links and social media
For more detail on the game and the event, see the following official pages and posts:
- World Curling official report: “Japan’s Yoshimura qualifies for Milano Cortina Olympic Winter Games 2026”
- World Curling live scores – Final Standings: Women
- World Curling event page – Olympic Qualification Event 2025
- Olympics.com – Road to Milano Cortina 2026
World Curling official X post
On X, the official World Curling account celebrated Japan’s win with a post announcing that another team had “booked their ticket” to the Olympics, congratulating Team Japan and sharing the link to the qualification game report.
Olympics official X post (play-off teams)
The official Olympics account also summarised the women’s round robin, listing Norway, Japan and USA as the three teams advancing to the play-offs with Olympic quotas on the line and posting a graphic of the qualified sides.
YouTube highlights of Team Japan’s run
Full game coverage and highlights are available on paid platforms such as the Curling Channel, but there are also free highlight videos that capture the atmosphere of the event and Japan’s path to qualification. They are a great way to relive the tension in Kelowna before looking ahead to what Fortius can achieve at Milano Cortina 2026.
