On February 1st, I visited Ahvaz which is situated in the south western area of Iran. I was greatly welcomed by Iranian Branch Chief Mohammad Sarkohaki, the chairman of the Iran Sports Association and other colleagues. The next day I took seminars for female students in the morning and male students in the afternoon. In spite of it being a weekday training session, many dojo students attended the seminars, taking a day off from school or work. I raised my hat to their enthusiasm. Ahvaz is one of the foremost oil producing area in the country. Following the discovery of an oil field near Masjed-e Soleyman, the largest oil field of Iran was found .

As Ahvaz is near the boarder with Iraq, the town became a hard-fought field during the Iran/Iraq War. Though the war gave them a severe blow, the town has been rapidly reconstructed. However, the destroyed historical buildings have no chance to be rebuilt and it continues increasing the victims of new and further war and terrorism. We should remember they are our Kyokushin brothers and sisters who are striving hard to train within the disaster area. I only wish they are safe and will be able to have a peaceful life in the near future.