Getting Ready for 16WKC! Steering Committee Report No.12いざ! 16WKCへ向けて実行委員会報告 12

The WKC year is upon us. This is the year of the sheep. I’m so busy with preparations that all I seem to see is fuzzy sheep before my eyes. But, the show must go on.

Speaking of sheep, preparing the WKC is very much like a woollen sweater or blanket. Lots of woollen threads are woven together in perfect symmetry to make a beautiful garment. Preparing the WKC involves considerable weaving together of skills, jobs, and responsibilities. Competitors,coaches and managers are training hard to get the best results, spectators are buying up tickets in the hope of seeing their team perform well, and then there is the Steering Committee and staff who are working selflessly to bring things together. At the end of May, all of the threads are going to come together to create a colourful 16WKC.

Posters
The posters so beautifully illustrated by Inoue Takehiko were printed and distributed to kendo federations and associated organizations nationwide at the end of last year. The posters are proving to be a valuable tool for getting the word out. They are truly fabulous posters, and widely sought after. We hope that people don’t start selling them for personal gain.

WKC Goods
We are producing WKC goods such as badges and tenugui. Of course, some of these goods will be for sale, but other items will be presented to participants, and we are also ordering items such as special WKC uniforms for volunteers and staff, and ID cards for players and officials.

We still have a mountain of things to do. No time to count sheep for the moment as the sleepless nights continue. But, I am happy to conclude that preparations are well underway.