日本レフティゴルフ協会 NALG JAPAN

To All WALG Members

This is to let you know that we held a committee meeting of NALG Japan on Saturday 14th April and we are sorry to say that it was decided not to hold the 22nd WALG Tournament in 2013. This follows receiving responses to our March 17th inquiry, with the exception of Finland, from all nine regular member countries.
Though most countries were ready to be supportive should we decide to go ahead, some of them also did express concerns about the radioactivity hazard. They also had worries about the affordability of travel to Japan at a time of global economic slowdown.

Our decision that it would be better not to proceed is based on the two points outlined below, one major, one less so.
1. It is undeniable that there has been no closure in the matter of the Fukushima nuclear power plant accident. No matter how much we may try to protest, accurately, that the venue in Hokkaido carries no health risks, anxieties will remain until the Fukushima situation can be said to be totally under control.
2. As to the appreciation of the yen and the world wide economic slowdown, however hard we may try to lower entry fees, there is nothing we can do about prices overall. We can understand that people facing a recession are likely to be especially sensitive to unfavorable exchange rates.

It is our obligation as the host country of the WALG Championship to keep participants safe and to make their experience pleasant and enjoyable. Unfortunately, in the present circumstances, we are not confident of fulfilling our pledge to provide the best tournament ever. We have therefore come to the conclusion that we must wait to invite WALG fellow members to Japan until we are ready to provide the environment with which we both, the participants and the host, would be able to be satisfied without any concerns.

This has been a vary difficult decision to make in view of the trust placed in NALG Japan. And we are, of course, sorry to see the work we have put in over the past two and more years go to waste. We hope those efforts will come in useful, when we are again seen as a viable site for the World Championship and look forward to a not too distant day when all our lefty friends can meet here in Japan.

With regrets but still your friends

Vice Chairman of the NALG Japan
Tom Waki