According to FIS Snowboard Race Director Uwe Beier who recently assured himself from the venue's top facilities everything is set for some great racing already:

“I'm pretty sure that we will have a great show with some great support. The city of Asahikawa, the whole region as well as Local Organisers and Local Authorities are looking forward to some high-class racing.”

With 2014 Olympic PGS Silver medallist Tomoka Takeuchi, who placed 31st in the PGS at Asahikawa in thirteen years ago, coming from the area Beier also expects a big audience to show up.

It would be the perfect set-up for a special moment as Asahakiwa, Japan, will not only celebrate a comeback after having hosted halfpipe and alpine snowboarding competitions back in 2001.

The two parallel races (PGS, PSL) which will take place Feb 28 and Mar 1 will also end a waiting time of more than five years since the last World Cup took in Nippon.

In January 2009, a halfpipe contest went down in Gujo-Gifu.

“FIS is looking forward to this comeback especially as Japan had organised many successful World Cup competitions in the past. The World Cup circus travelling to the Far East is definitely the result Japanese Snowboard Team's good work in the past years,” said Beier.