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International Tennis Hall of Fame 2012 Nominee Eiichi Kawatei
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Eiichi Kawatei, 78, originally from Ashiya City, Japan, has been nominated for his contributions to tennis as a leader in the development and promotion of the sport in Asia. For more than 25 years, he has supported national associations, players, officials, coaches and many official international events (juniors through the pros). He served as Tournament Director for the Japan Open and Asian Open from 1977–1986. Kawatei has been highly active with the International Tennis Federation (ITF) for many years, having served as a member of the Committee of Management, a member of the ITF Board of Directors, Vice President, Olympic Games Technical Director, and as Chairman of the Junior Competitions Committee. He has been officially designated an ITF Honorary Life Vice President. Kawatei served as a member of the Japanese Olympic Committee from 1991-2003. He was President of the Asian Tennis Federation 1989-2003, and Secretary General from 1978-1989. With the Japanese Tennis Association, he served as Executive Board Member (1977-1993), and since 1993 he has been Vice President.
Kawatei has been recognized for his contributions to tennis by his peers many times. He is the recipient of the Golden Olympic Ring Award (presented by the IOC), the Chinese National Sports Federation Honorable Award, and the 2005 Golden Achievement Award, presented by the International Tennis Hall of Fame and the International Tennis Federation.
In addition to his administrative contributions, Kawatei has been an active member of the international tennis media, serving as an international tennis photographer, as a tennis commentator on Japanese TV, and he has contributed to numerous books and magazines as a journalist.
As a player, Kawatei was a nationally ranked junior and played for Doshisha University (1954-1955), where he returned as coach (1960-1968, 1990-1994).
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