On behalf of Japan Table Tennis Association, l would like to extend my heart felt welcome to all participating players and officials.
As you know, the Championships are the world events for the players under 21 years old.Sponsored by the Nippon Foundation and organized by the lnternational Table Tennis Federation and the Japan Table Tennis Association.For the Japan Table Tennis Association, we are aiming to win the World Table Tennis Championships in 1997.Players between 17 years old and 21 years old are in their golden time in table tennis and I would like to witness their best achievements.I also expect them to encourage each other and to play with fighting spirit and in“FairPlay”Sportsmanship.I sincerely wish the players will perform their best skills and achieve their best results.
Lastly I would like to express my deepest gratitude to the sponsors, especially, the Nippon Foundation, to Chiba Prefecture, Chiba City, the host association-the Chiba Table Tennis Association and to all the people concerned for their efforts and contributions.