Nabtesco Sponsors the Japan Curling Championships Yokohama 2026 as a Platinum Partner Becomes Title Sponsor of the Newly Established “Best LSD Award”

Nabtesco Corporation (Head Office: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; President & CEO: Kazumasa Kimura; hereinafter “Nabtesco”) is serving as a Platinum Partner of the Japan Curling Championships Yokohama 2026, being held at Yokohama BUNTAI in Kanagawa Prefecture from June 7 to 14, 2026. In addition, Nabtesco is the title sponsor of the newly established individual prize, the “Best LSD Award,” supporting athletes who take on the challenge of delivering the precise shots required in curling.

The Last Stone Draw (LSD) is a crucial pre-game shot in which a representative from each team delivers a stone, and the team whose stone finishes closer to the center of the house earns the choice of having either the hammer or the lead.
Nabtesco decided to become the title sponsor of this award because it recognized a strong affinity between its precision motion control technologies—symbolized by the concept of “Moving it. Stopping it.” cultivated over many years—and LSD’s pursuit of precise control on the ice.

At the award ceremony held on June 11, Player Asei Nakahara and Player Eri Ogihara, who delivered the stones closest to the center of the house with the highest level of accuracy, were presented with the Best LSD Award and a supplementary prize in the form of gift certificates by Kazumasa Kimura, Representative Director, President & CEO of Nabtesco.

Through its ongoing support for the Japan Curling Association, the Japan National Curling Team, the Japan Wheelchair Curling Association, and junior athlete development programs, Nabtesco has long contributed to the growth and development of the sport.
Going forward, Nabtesco will continue to support athletes competing on the world stage through the sport of curling, which embodies the values of “Moving it. Stopping it.”