The Japan Curling Association’s board elected former speed skater Okazaki Tomomi (岡崎朋美) as its new president on 8 August. The athlete committee members will leave their positions.
At a board meeting held in Tokyo on 8 August, the Japan Curling Association elected Okazaki Tomomi (岡崎朋美) as its new president. Okazaki won a bronze medal in the women’s 500-meter speed-skating event at the 1998 Nagano Olympics and retired from competition in 2013. She has served as a director of the association since 2022. Upon her appointment, she expressed her intention to build a new association that makes use of athletes’ strengths.
With Okazaki’s appointment, the current athlete committee members are expected to leave their positions, and the association hopes to increase the number of curlers in every prefecture from north to south. The new president said, “I want to devote my passion as a former athlete to curling so that a fresh breeze can blow through,” and also mentioned that a curling association had recently been established in Okinawa Prefecture.
The appointment is viewed as an unusual selection from another sport, with the aim apparently being to revitalize the association by drawing on Okazaki’s experience and enthusiasm. Further details of specific measures and additional developments will depend on announcements from those involved.