Introduction of the participating nations and regions 2
United States of America, Canada, Brazil, Paraguay, Peru, and Uruguay

Third place winner in the 7th championship!    United States of America

　　Team "Los Angeles" will be participating from the United States of America.
　"Los Angeles" is a team of 60 - 90 year old Japanese descendants belonging to the Southern California Gateball Association. They debuted with the team name "Deigo B" in the 7th championship (Hawaii, America) in 1998 and won third place, an outstanding achievement, but were eliminated in the preliminaries in the 8th - 10th championships thereafter. Apart from participating in the annual championship held in Canada, the team organized the "2014 USA-Canada-Japan Friendship Gateball Game" in June this year to interact with overseas teams. Also, recently they have been interacting with the local croquet clubs, and working hard to promote gateball.
　They said "This championship also commemorates the 30th anniversary of the foundation of the Japan Gateball Union, so we would like to enjoy the game and take back some good memories".

Members of the Southern California Gateball Association at a gateball demonstration in a local croquet event in March this year



A match featuring first time players!    Canada

　Team "Canada" will be participating from Canada.
　"Canada" is a team of 40 - 70 year old Japanese descendants. The team was formed in May this year for participating in this championship, and the entire team has been training together twice a month in addition to individual practice.
　Their aspirations for this championship are modest. "Since five of our six players are participating in a world championship for the first time, we will be playing with the intention of learning. We would aim at fair play and be happy if we win even one game".

Members of the Canadian team playing in "2014 USA-Canada-Japan Friendship Gateball Game" held in U.S.A. in June this year




Spotlight on "Brazil 11" formed with the aim of winning this championship!    Brazil

　　16 teams will be participating from Brazil, which along with Japan is the highest number for this championship.
　The participating teams are 6 teams that are invited on priority from the regional chapters, 8 teams selected through selection tournaments, and 2 teams who have retained their excellent record from several past championships. There are several teams with a majority of 70-year old Japanese descendants, but the 2 teams that have retained their excellent record comprise of players in their 20s.
　The team that attracts special attention is "Brazil 11". This team was reorganized about a year ago with the aim of winning this championship and consists of elite players from the young team of Caucaia, Sao Paulo. The team won the South American Championship - senior category held in Brazil in 2013, and also won the National Gateball Selection Championship - seniors group this year. The members are students or working adults, so they have been polishing their skills in tournaments held on weekends. The team has developed a solid defense-centric strategy, and highly value the harmony among the team members. Their aim is, of course, to win this championship, and they regard Japan and China as their rivals. While speaking about their aspirations they said, "We are looking forward to the games with overseas teams with whom we are usually not able to compete. We also want to strive towards exchanging friendship and not just focus on victory or defeat".

"Caucaia A" (Brazil 11) when they won the 15th South American Championship - senior category in 2013



Aiming for a high rank in true Japanese spirit!    Paraguay

　Three teams will be participating from Paraguay. The teams mainly consist of senior players of Japanese descendants, many female players, and majority of the players have participated in international championships in the past.
　The participating teams were formed by appealing to the members of the Asociacion De Gateball Del Paraguay and forming teams with the persons who wished to participate. The teams are mixed, with members from areas that are about 50 km to 300 km or more away from each other, therefore the team members hardly had time to practice together. As a result, cohesive and strategic strength is a challenge, but they are advancing step by step to aim a high rank.
　They are quite motivated and said, "Most of the participating members have migrated from Japan to Paraguay 55 - 60 years ago, but cherish their birthplace and Japanese culture, and would like to tackle the game with the attitude of Japanese spirit and Nadeshiko Japan. We would like to return home with tales of having put up a good fight".

Paraguay team that participated in the previous championship




First appearance after the 8th championship!　  Peru

　　One team " Peru Aelu" will be participating from Peru. Peru will be participating for the first time since the 8th championship (Toyama Prefecture, Japan) in 2002.
　In Peru, Gateball is mainly played by Japanese descendants, about 80% of whom are 70 years old or more, but the younger generation in their thirties has also started participating recently.
　" Peru Aelu " is a team of 50 - 80 year old Japanese descendants. They have gained a lot of experience by participating in the South American Championship held every two years and the Japanese descendants tournaments held in Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina, and Peru.

Members of the Asociacion Peru Gateball from the competition rules and referee course conducted in the capital, Lima, in 2003



Want to enjoy the championship!    Uruguay

　One team "Uruguay" will be participating from Uruguay.
　Gateball in Uruguay is mainly centered on senior players of Japanese descendants, but local Uruguayans have also started participating, and the team of Uruguayan players is becoming quite proficient.
　The "Uruguay" team mainly consists of 60 - 70 year old Japanese descendants. The old and trusted members enjoy 3 - 4 hours of practice once a week. The team plays with an attacking attitude, and has sometimes participated and even won championships held in Argentina.
　The players say, "Strong local Uruguayan players are not participating in this championship, and so we want to concentrate on enjoying the game ".

Japanese spirit and Nadeshiko Japan. We would like to return home with tales of having put up a good fight".