A record number of teams have converged on Istanbul,
one of the world’s great cities, for the 12th World Bridge
Olympiad and three other major bridge competitions.
The Open series will be contested among 72 teams.
In the Women’s event, 43 teams will vie for the world championship.
In the 2nd International Senior Cup, 29 teams are waiting for the
first match, set for Sunday, when all competiton begins.
In addition to the Olympiad and Senior competitions,
there are two other major events on the schedule: the 3rd World
Transnational Mixed Teams Championship and the 2nd World University
Teams Championship.
In the Open series, Italy will attempt to defend
the championship they won in Maastricht, Netherlands, in 2000. Four
members of that squad, which defeated Poland in a close final match,
will return. They are Norberto Bocchi, Giorgio Duboin, Lorenzo Lauria
and Alfredo Versace.
In the Women’s series, the defending champions
are from the USA, but the lineup for this year’s team is completely
different from the squad that defeated Canada in the final in Maastricht.
One member of this year’s team, Jill Meyers, was a member
of the winning squad in the Mixed Teams in Maastricht.
Damiani Honored by French
Government
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WBF President
Jose Damiani, left, receives Legion of Insignia
of Officer at the Austomobile Club of France from Antoine
Berheim, president of the Generali Group |
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While players are getting ready for the competition,
WBF President Jose Damiani is still accepting congratulations on
his appointment earlier this month as Officier de la Legion D’Honneur,
one of the highest honors to be bestowed on civilians in France.
Damiani was already a member of the Legion of Honor. The latest
appointment represents a promotion within that rank..
The award was announced by French Prime Minister
Jean-Pierre Raffarin and was presented by Antoine Bernheim, president
of the Generali Group, on Oct. 14 at the Automobile Club of France
in Paris.
The Legion of Honor is meant to recognize outstanding
achievement in the national interest of France. Damiani has been
involved in bridge administration for decades, as president of the
European Bridge League and, since 1994, as World Bridge Federation
president.
Since Damiani took over as WBF president, bridge
has made significant advances in recognition by the International
Olympic Committee and has been declared a sport by that body.
Damiani helped organize a special bridge match
in Salt Lake City on the eve of the 2000 Winter Olympic Games, and
he has been determined in his quest to have bridge become a part
of Olympic competition.
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