[7kitthuptarill]

Interesting and well-thought reply johnkichu. A couple of things I disagree with however.

Firstly I see the IKF's inclusion into the GAISF as a pre-emptive move to *prevent* a rival world kendo organisation achieving membership of IOC. It is a move designed to protect kendo from Olympic inclusion, not pave the way for it. In Australia it is a help that the IKF (is it really now "FIK"? German kendoka will never live that one down!) is now a member of GAISF, as that now makes it possible for Australian Kendo Renmei senior members to achieve gov't accreditation as coaches.

Secondly, your assertion that all that would be required to protect kendo from the problems beset by other Olympic sports is good leadership is naive. I think the sudden effects of large amounts of money being at stake would overwhelm even the most enlightened and effective leadership. I'm not talking rule changes, which perhaps can be avoided, but things like drug use, would definitely increase. Also shinpan decisions would be placed under increased scrutiny, perhaps leading to use of video checking of decisions. This could in term put pressure on rules to make yuko datotsu "simpler". Also being an Olympic sport would attract pressure from TV networks for more "viewer-friendly" shiai. The tension here is between the Japanese approach of "sensei is always right" vs the American "customer is always right." IOW the viewing audience would have to be indulged as being the ultimate authority, because their numbers deliver advertisers to networks, who pay the screening rights to IOC, who dictate to individual sports how and when they will be seen. The IKF would now be at the bottom of a very hungry food chain, so to speak.

Let me tell a little story to illustrate what I mean: last year at the IKF Asian Zone Shinpan Seminar in Korea, an inordinate amount of time was spent grilling the Japanese 8-dans present on what should be done when players and/or managers physically attack shinpan. The Japanese were visibly bemused by what seemed to be an excessive interest in what was for them a hypothetical situation. One of the Taiwanese delegates turned to me and asked if we had this situation in Australia. I replied of course not. He then said it is not uncommon in Taiwan and Korea, at competitions where substantial amounts of prizemoney are offered at large municipal taikai, for players and team managers to physically threaten and abuse shinpan when a decision goes against them and they disagree with it.

And you don't have to become an Olympic sport for these money-related problems to occur. Just look at the dishonourable state of Italian soccer, or the recent "winner" of the Tour de France.

b