It is with great joy that Shitoryu Karate Quebec, jointly with Shitoryu Karate Canada, has accepted the honour of organizing the 15thPanamerican Shitoryu Karatedo Championships in Gatineau, Quebec. We are therefore very happy to welcome, for the first time in Canada, delegations of Pan-American countries and of Japan for this great gathering of Shitoryu Karatedo from August 3rd to 5th, 2012.

I wish to all athletes the best possible success. I am confident that all efforts will be fruitful, for the advancement of Shitoryu karate as a sport and as a lifestyle.

Having the privilege of working with a team dedicated to excellence and whose efforts are without limits, I am convinced that this exceptional tournament will mark history, as much for the experience lived by the athletes and the spectators, than for the friend ship and brotherhood that will be expressed. The success of this event would not be complete without the organizing committee and its volunteers, and I offer them my heartfelt gratefulness.

I take this opportunity to also thank officials of the World Shitoryu Karatedo Federation, who support us from the beginning: our honourable Shitoryu Soke Kenei Mabuni,; Murata Sensei, our President of WSKF; Arai Sensei and Hashimoto Sensei, Vice-Presidents of WSKF; and Iwata Sensei, our technical Director of WSKF.

Sincere thanks to Mr. Jean-Pierre Gendron, President of Karate Quebec, without whom the Championships would not have the technical material needed for the performance of athletes and the judging and referring of the events.

I wish to also thank Master Shoko Sato, for the trust he put in Shitoryu Karate Canada, when he honoured us by putting us in charge of organizing the 15thPanamerican Shitoryu Karatedo Championships.

Finally, I wish to thank our political dignitaries for their moral and financial support: Mr. Marc Bureau Mayor of Gatineau; Ms. Françoise Boivin, Member of Parliament for Gatineau and Official Opposition Critic for Justice; Mr. Marc Carrière, Member for Chapleau and Parliamentary Assistant to the Chair of the Treasury Board ; and all sponsors who support us from the beginning.

Lets make a success of our Championships; an image of today’s efforts.

Claude Larouche
Technical Director of SKQ & Championship Organizer