The 2023 Hokkaido Bank Curling Classic was held from August 3 to 6 at the Hokkaido Bank Curling Stadium in Sapporo, Japan. It was the second tour event of the 2023âÂÂ24 curling season and the first event of the Hokkaido Curling Tour. The total purse for the event was ÃÂ¥ 1,700,000 on both the men's and women's sides.
In the men's final, Team Kohsuke Hirata of Kitami downed the newly crowned Korean champions Team Park Jong-duk of Gangwon 8âÂÂ2. Team Hirata, with third Shingo Usui, second Ryota Meguro, lead Yoshiya Miura and alternate Kosuke Aita finished 3âÂÂ1 through the round robin to qualify for the playoff round. Team Park also went 3âÂÂ1 in Pool A, however, Team Hirata earned first place in the pool with a 4âÂÂ2 head-to-head victory. From Pool B, the defending Japanese champions Team Riku Yanagisawa finished 3âÂÂ1 while Hayato Sato also qualified at 2âÂÂ2. In the semifinals, Hirata won 6âÂÂ3 over Sato while Park stole a 6âÂÂ5 win from Yanagisawa. The Japanese champions went on to win 7âÂÂ3 in the third-place game over Sato's Sapporo University rink. Earlier in the year, Team Hirata lost the final of the 2023 national championship to Team Yanagisawa 6âÂÂ2.
In the women's final, Yuna Kotani led the Sayaka Yoshimura rink to their second consecutive Hokkaido Bank title with a perfect 6âÂÂ0 record. With Yoshimura on maternity leave, Kotani, Kaho Onodera, Anna Ohmiya and Mina Kobayashi each moved up the lineup a position with Yoshimura on the bench. The team went 4âÂÂ0 through the round robin, topping Pool B. Ikue Kitazawa also went undefeated through Pool A to qualify for the playoffs, with Miori Nakamura and Momoha Tabata rounding out the final four. In the playoffs, Tabata's Hokkaido Bank rink upset Kitazawa's Chubu Electric rink 6âÂÂ5 while Yoshimura scored two in the eighth end to win 7âÂÂ6 over Nakamura. Kitazawa went on to win the third-place game 6âÂÂ0 over Nakamura while Yoshimura dominated the final to win 7âÂÂ2 over Tabata.
The teams are listed as follows:
Final Round Robin Standings
All draw times are listed in Japan Standard Time ().
Thursday, August 3, 10:30 am
Friday, August 4, 9:00 am
Friday, August 4, 4:00 pm
Saturday, August 5, 9:00 am
Saturday, August 5, 4:00 pm
Source:
Sunday, August 6, 9:00 am
Sunday, August 6, 12:30 pm
Sunday, August 6, 4:00 pm
The teams are listed as follows:
Final Round Robin Standings
All draw times are listed in Japan Standard Time ().
Thursday, August 3, 2:00 pm
Friday, August 4, 12:30 pm
Friday, August 4, 7:30 pm
Saturday, August 5, 12:30 pm
Saturday, August 5, 7:30 pm
Source:
Sunday, August 6, 9:00 am
Sunday, August 6, 12:30 pm
Sunday, August 6, 4:00 pm