Curling: Yokohama's hosting of nationals leads to strong ticket sales

In a positive sign for curling in Japan, the 2,000-seat Yokohama Buntai arena has been sold out for each of the eight days of the national championships that began Sunday as the event takes place in a big city for the first time.The previous nationals, played at curling-only facilities in areas with colder climates such as Hokkaido and Nagano Prefecture, drew only around 100 to 200 spectators per day.The Japan Curling Association asked for cooperation from Yokohama, which actively promotes sports, to raise curling's profile and broaden its fan base, and videos introducing the participating …READ FULL ARTICLE