By FCF Staff
In response to the tragic earthquake that has struck Japan, and the ongoing crises the nation is enduring, Fighting and Entertainment President Sadaharu Tanikawa has released a statement on the official K-1 website. In it, Tanikawa offers his condolences to the victims of the recent tragedy, before discussing the future of fight sports in Japan.
Over the last few months, speculation has been rampant regarding the future of FEG, which is the parent company behind kickboxing promotion K-1 and MMA organization Dream. Amidst reports that the organization is in dire straits financially, fellow Japanese promoter and competitor World Victory Road (Sengoku Raiden Championships) also appear to be on the ropes.
Here is the Tanikawa statement which is posted on the K-1 site.
First of all, I would like to express my condolences to the victims of the disaster. The victims and their families must be going through hell now. Please, stay strong and overcome this tragedy. I hope you will be able to return to normal life soon.
As we can all see, this disaster has caused massive damage to Japan. All we can do right now is to encourage people by harnessing the collective power of fight sports fans. Another major local organization SRC has stated the possibility of withdrawal from the scene. Additionally the organization we work closely with, Strikeforce, has been purchased by Zuffa/UFC recently. We have to say, fight sports in Japan is currently going through the hardest time that we've ever experienced before. However, we are not giving up! We know we have to keep moving forward. We will do our best to make it. So please stick by us, and support us.
We have received many messages from fighters, promoters and fans since the tragedy. It really shows their love for Japan and the Japanese fight sports scene. Now we are determined to fight for them! We will keep on updating these special messages from fighters to our official website, Twitter and Facebook. We hope these messages will go some way to cheering up the people of Japan. Let's unite and overcome this adversity!
Sadaharu Tanikawa
