World's Top Athletes Gather at Niseko Tokyu Grand Hirafu: Swatch Nines Snow 2026 Participating Riders Announced

Tokyu Fudosan Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director and President: Hiroaki Hoshino; hereinafter "Tokyu Fudosan") and Tokyu Resorts & Stay Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director and President: Shinya Tange; hereinafter "Tokyu Resorts & Stay"), the two companies that own and operate the all-season international mountain resort "Niseko Tokyu Grand Hirafu," are pleased to announce that all participating riders have been decided for the 2026 event (hereinafter "this event") of "Swatch Nines Snow," one of the world's premier action sports events, to be held for the first time in Asia.

This event will be co-organized by The Nines AG (Headquarters: Zug, Switzerland; CEO: Nico Zacek; hereinafter "Nines"), Machi no Mirai Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Sapporo, Hokkaido; Representative Director: Ken Sugai; hereinafter "Machi no Mirai"), and The Small Things Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director: Etsushi Tagami; hereinafter "The Small Things"). It will be held for six days from Monday, April 6 to Saturday, April 11, 2026, approximately one week from now. The event has previously been held in international snow resorts around the world, such as Switzerland, and is expected to feature over 50 invited riders, including medalists from the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics (hereinafter "Milan Olympics"). The final day, Saturday, April 11, will be a public day, and any guest of Niseko Tokyu Grand Hirafu will be able to watch the event.

■ Top Domestic Athletes Gather

This event marks the first time Swatch Nines Snow will be held in Asia, and the lineup of participating riders has a stronger focus on Asian athletes than in previous years. Many Japanese athletes, including representatives for the Milan Olympics, have confirmed their participation in this event.

From men's snowboarding, a total of 8 Japanese riders are scheduled to participate, including Ayumu Hirano, a three-time consecutive Olympic halfpipe medalist and a symbolic figure in Japanese snowboarding; Ryusei Yamada, a Milan Olympics halfpipe bronze medalist; and Teikatsu Hasegawa, a slopestyle silver medalist.

From women's snowboarding, a total of 6 Japanese riders are scheduled to participate, including Kokomo Murase, a Milan Olympics big air gold medalist; and Mari Fukada, a slopestyle gold medalist.

Furthermore, two skiers representing local Niseko are scheduled to participate: Gen Sasaki, a former Japan national team member for ski slopestyle and big air; and Tenra Katsuno, who placed 5th in the FIS Freeride World Championships held in February 2026.

*Please note that participating riders may change before the event due to natural disasters or other unavoidable circumstances.

In addition, there have been some changes to the event setup due to material transportation, and an iconic section centered around Mini Mt. Yotei will be placed instead of the skate park section.