I'd like to extend my warmest congratulations to the Costa Rica Kyokushin Karate Do Renmei, WKO Shinkyokushinkai, for the opening of the Central America Championship.
This year's Championship is a special event in various ways: it is the first time for me to visit Costa Rica, and I am very excited to watch this event, especially since I know that
the WKO Branch Chief of Costa Rica and WKO Board Member, Shihan Antonio Gonzalez has sown a lot of efforts in order to make this event successful.
I am very happy to be here today!
It is also an honor for me, as the President of the World Karate Organization, to visit Costa Rica and Central America.

It is also a special event, since the Central American Team (both men and women) will be selected today, and we will see those selected competitors fight in Osaka, Japan next year at the KARATE WORLD CUP 2005! Selection tournaments are going on all over the world, and with these selection tournaments we are all building up our expectations on next year's World Cup, which, I can assure you, will be a great event.

I am also looking forward to watching the children's division today, since I know that Shihan Gonzalez is doing a wonderful work for the education of the younger generation which is also one of the mottos for our World Karate Organization. The children of today will be tomorrow's champioin!

Further, I would like to take this opportunity to thank all Central American Branch Chiefs and other officials for assisting and supporting the Costa Rica Branch in preparations for this event.

Lastly, I'd like to wish the competitors good luck today, and I hope that you all will be able to show us and the spectators the fruitful result of your hard training!

OSU!

Kenji Midori
PRESIDENT
World Karate Organization