Korean Curling Team Defeats Japan in Olympic Qualifiers – 2026 Winter Olympics

South Korea Defeats Japan in Olympic Curling Qualifier, While Canada and Switzerland Face Setbacks

MILAN CORTINA, Italy – February 15, 2026 – The South Korean women’s curling team secured a crucial 7-5 victory over Japan in the fifth round of the Olympic Qualification Event for the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics. The win comes after a previous loss to Denmark, making this match a pivotal moment in their quest to qualify for the Games.

According to reports from multiple Korean news outlets, including the *Chosun Ilbo* and *Yonhap News Agency*, the Korean team demonstrated resilience and precision, culminating in a decisive final shot by Kim Eun-jung to secure the one-point lead. The victory puts them in contention for a qualifying spot, with the team now holding a 3-2 record in the round-robin stage.

The Korean team’s performance is particularly noteworthy given the high stakes of the qualification event. The *Chosun Ilbo* highlighted the significance of the win, describing it as a “big shot” in the eighth end that sealed the victory. The team is now aiming to maintain momentum as they progress through the remaining rounds.

Elsewhere in the women’s curling competition, Canada suffered a second consecutive loss, this time to Great Britain. Simultaneously, Switzerland fell to Japan, adding to the upsets in the qualifying tournament. These results, reported by Google News, indicate a highly competitive field with several teams vying for a limited number of Olympic berths.

The 2026 Winter Olympics curling competition will feature a total of 30 teams across three disciplines: Men’s, Women’s, and Mixed Doubles. Ten teams will participate in each event, with a total of 120 athletes competing. Italy, as the host nation, has automatically qualified teams in all three disciplines, marking their second appearance in the Women’s event since hosting the Winter Olympics in 2006.

This year’s Olympic qualification process also marks the debut of Estonia in Olympic curling. The qualification pathways involve points earned at the 2024 and 2025 World Championships, as well as an Olympic Qualification Event held in Kelowna, Canada, in December 2025. According to information from Wikipedia, Great Britain, Canada, Sweden, Switzerland, Germany, Norway, and the Czech Republic have already secured qualification spots in the Men’s event based on their performance in the 2024 World Championships.

The Korean women’s team will continue their pursuit of an Olympic berth, building on their recent victory against Japan. The competition remains fierce, with several strong contenders battling for the remaining qualifying spots. The outcome of the remaining matches will determine which nations will represent their countries on the Olympic stage in Milan Cortina.

The *Kyungyang Shinmun* reported that the Korean team’s victory was secured with a final shot from Kim Eun-jung, effectively ending the match and boosting their chances of advancing. The team’s performance is being closely watched by curling fans in South Korea, who are eager to see their national team compete at the highest level.

The qualification event is proving to be a challenging test for all participating teams, with unexpected results and closely contested matches. The competition is expected to intensify as teams approach the final stages of the round-robin, with every game carrying significant weight in the pursuit of an Olympic dream.