IOC recognizes bridge as official Olympic sport
IOC recognizes bridge as official Olympic sport
JAKARTA (JP): The International Olympics Committee has formally recognized bridge as a sport in its meeting in Bukarest, Rumania, on May 5. The board game, which also has its own Olympics, can now be contested at the Olympic Games.
The Indonesian Bridge Association was informed of the committee's decision by vice president of the World Bridge Federation, Mazhar Jafri, on May 8, Amran Zamzami, the association's executive chairman, said.
"A big step has been made for the progress of this sport," Amran said. Many countries do not treat bridge as sport. In Southeast Asia, only Indonesia and Thailand have formally recognized bridge as a sport.
Indonesia has shown commendable performances in the sport. Starting as a semifinalist at the 1980 Bridge Olympics in Valkenburg, the Netherlands, Indonesia managed to enter the world's top 16 at last year's interclub bridge Olympics in New Mexico in the United States. In between, Indonesia has also nailed numerous victories at many bridge championships in the Asia-Pacific region.
World championships
On Indonesia's preparation for the 5th World Junior Bridge Championships, training director Roy E. Tirtadji said Indonesia is all set to host the prestigious event, to be staged in Bali from July 7 to July 17.
The championships will be the first major event Indonesia has held in its bridge history, Roy added.
Indonesia won the bidding to host the championships at a World Bridge Federation executive board meeting in Sotogrande, Spain, in June last year.
Seventeen clubs from 16 countries are expected to take part in the world championships. Teams which have confirmed their participation include those from the U.S., Canada, England, Poland, Denmark, Argentina, Brazil, India, Pakistan, Australia and New Zealand.
Following the world junior championships, Indonesia will also host an invitational world championship from July 12 to July 16. Only the world's top bridge countries are invited to the meet. They include England, the Netherlands, France, the United States, Canada, Brazil, China, Australia, and a mixed World Bridge Federation team consisting of the world's best bridge players.
At the invitational meet, Indonesia will field three teams. Two of these are being prepared for the Far East Bridge Championships in Perth, Australia, slated for May 26 to June 6.
The other one will be for the national interclub and interprovincial bridge championships, slated for July 5 to July 11 in Bali.
Far East
For the Far East championships in Perth, Indonesia will send three seasoned pairs. They are veteran pairs Hengky Lasut and Eddy Manopo; Denny Sakul and Franky Karwur; and Munawar Sawiruddin and Bert Polii.
Tirtadji said Indonesia has a greater chance of winning the Far East championships title because he believes arch rival China will concentrate its players on the Bermuda Bowl inter-team Olympics, slated for September in Beijing.
The Far East Bridge Federation Championships will serve as a qualifying round for the Bermuda Bowl, the women's Venice Cup, which is also the arena to name the last two teams for the Bali world junior championships.
In the junior event at the Far East championships, Indonesia will field three pairs, which are being prepared for the Bali meet. (arf)