Dear Branch Chiefs and Contacts

This is the last Newsletter for this year, and I would like to start my greeting with thanking you all for your hard work in 2008, and I also would like to wish you a Happy New Year! Here in Japan, the most important day of the year is January 1st. This is the day when we should make plans for the new year, and, after you have made your plans, you will start to act. I hope that you all will start the new year happily with full of expectations and that you all will make up great plans for the coming year.

My goal for the coming year is only one: “To make the WKO the largest and strongest karate organization in the world”. In order to fulfill this goal, there are two major points I would like to focus on: point 1: to make the World Cup the best and most successful tournament, point 2: to increase our number of WKO, so that we will have Branches in more than 100 countries For us, the World Cup is the main event of 2009. I believe that the fighters in this tournament will prove the size and level of our organization. During 2008, selections tournaments have been held throughout the world, and we are receiving some information on the Regional Representatives. I have been able to watch a few of those selection tournaments, and I must say that the level of our fighters are very high, any of those fighters could become the Champion. In the end, the Champion will be the person who has been training hardest, so I hope that all fighters will not waste any time, not a day, not a moment of the coming months, but focus on only one thing: the World Cup.

The host country for the World Cup, Russia, and the WKO Office are working close together. Our plans is having all names of the competitors by the end of January, and then having the tournament draw ready by March, so please cooperate with the organizers, so that they will be able to keep this time schedule.

Today, we have Branches in 75 countries affiliated to the WKO and we do receive inquires about affiliation from countries that do not yet have any Branch of WKO, I am very grateful for this. I believe that this shows that our organization is moving in a right direction. To run a branch or regional organization requires a lot of efforts and hard work, and also a lot of time. In order to keep a straight direction, it is important that you communicate with each other although sometimes you will be of different opinions. Such efforts will lead to a stabilization of our organization, and I am very grateful to be a member of an organization with such great people. If we continue to work like this we will grow larger and I hope that all you Branch Chiefs try to contact areas and countries who are not members today, so that we will increase the number of Branches from even more countries than today.

As a step in our efforts, it is important to try to attract as many as people as possible to our tournaments and events. These kinds of events are great chance for us to establish a strong connection to society, both internationally and domestically. All kinds of small efforts should not be wasted; they will show a great result in the end. I hope that the venue of the World Cup will be more than full, and that we can prove our greatness to the audience.

Lastly, again, I would like to thank you all for the passing year, and let’s make next year even better! For us, Karate-Kas, our training is the most important, so beside your work with our organization, train hard and keep healthy!

Osu!

Kenji Midori

WKO President