The Man at the Top

The President of the World Bridge Federation, José Damiani, recently found the time for an interview with Mark Horton.

I would like to begin by finding out a little more about about José Damiani when he is not engaged in the role of President. Tell me about your family life.
It is the most enjoyable part of life. My wife, Monique, and I have a daughter Caroline, who is married to a very good bridge player, and two sons, Laurent and Emmanuel, who work in our company. We have six grandchildren.

How did bridge become a part of your life?
By accident, because I discovered that I had congenital osteonecrose which prevented me from playing competitive tennis. Then I decided to take up bridge, and was lucky enough to find good partners. I was asked to become President of the club because of the illness of my best friend. Later on I was asked to become President of the District, and then I was asked to be President…

Your triumphs at the table?
I won six National French Championships, many Festivals, and recently a medal in the European Mixed Pairs Championships, as well as a silver medal in the Senior European Team Championships. But I spend much more time on administration than at the bridge table.

Is being President of the WBF a full-time job?
Unfortunately yes! It is on voluntary basis, but I like to do it properly and the promotion of the game is in my view just as important as the organisation. That is especially important now and, with our aim to become an Olympic discipline, it never ends.

You have a brilliant record in attracting sponsors, and keeping them. What advice would you offer to other bridge organisations that have been less successful?
You are right to mention in the same sentence 'attracting sponsors and keeping them'. As a matter of fact it is not difficult to attract them, but in order to keep them you have to show respect, and to work for them and give them what they are entitled to get back.

The Olympics: what is the latest news?
We have a strategy and we are following it. This means that we are working to be present in Salt Lake City, even with a single exhibition match, but our aim is really Turin 2006.

I understand that negotiations are taking place between the IOC, FIDE (World Chess Federation) and Australian Chess Federation on chess having a presence at the Sydney Olympics. Will bridge have a presence?
I have heard the same rumours and I asked my Australian friends to enquire. I also met some people from the Sydney Organizing Committee but nobody was able to confirm the rumour. As you know, in chess there are two main organisations which act in competition with each other, FIDE and the Chess PGA led by Garry Kasparov. Perhaps there is something happening with the latter, but we all recognise that bridge and chess have a common destiny.

Mentioning chess, France has recognised it as a sport. What about bridge?
As far I know both games have the same status with the Ministry of Sports. At the beginning of May, I met the President of the CNOSF (the French National Olympic Committee) and the French Bridge Federation has now sent its application. I strongly believe the FFB will be accepted before the end of the year 2000.

Do you have any news about the next Bermuda Bowl?
We have signed a contract with the Indonesian Bridge Federation to organise in Bali the next Bermuda Bowl, Venice Cup and Transnational Open Teams, at the end of October/beginning of November 2001. It will be a marvellous venue and site, and I do not have any reason to doubt that it will be a great success.

As I understand it, you have been very successful in France in developing a schools programme. Can you tell us about this and how it was achieved?
In fact I worked on that with Jean Claude Beineix when he was President of the FFB. We got the support of the Minister of Education and Schools. We got sponsors: BP and Nesquik to cover the expenses of the seminar, to train the teachers, and finally we got the support of the parents and the media. But there is still a lot to do in that field.

In this year's Generali Masters, a Junior event was included. Are there any plans to include a Senior event in the future?
Not at all, for a simple reason: from the beginning we invited the most famous seniors and everybody can still remember the standing ovation given to Giorgio Belladona, and the bronze medals won by Jean Marc Roudinesco and Bobby Wolff. However, as part of our policy towards the Olympics, it was clear that we had to have a Junior event.

Bridge on television: do you see any way in which it can be done?
In the past I have shown how to do it. After Geneva, and the Generali, we had edited highlights, which attracted several million viewers. The problem is that it is expensive to make such programmes, and from now on we may have free TV on the Internet with, in a few months time, very good image quality and a very simple method of access on to your TV screen.

We have come a long way in the last ten years, especially in the use of technology. What further developments do you envisage?
For more than twenty years I have spent a lot of time on developing technology, especially in communications and our bridge presentations on VuGraph. I am now sure that the Internet revolution will be of great benefit for bridge, because bridge is also the best example of the use of the Internet. Furthermore it opens the field for teaching and learning.

Is there anything you would like to add, or request that be done to promote bridge in any way? This is very much an open question!
Of course, you know that development is my passion. As Club President I managed to increase the club members in three years from 90 to 220. As District President, also in three years, from 400 to 1,200. As French Bridge Federation President, in five years from 18,000 to 44,000. As European Bridge League President: in 1987 we numbered 240,000, and 370,000 when I left in 1995.
I am convinced that the present stagnant figures are unacceptable, and, in association with the national federations, I want to promote a development programme aimed at youth, though I do not want to neglect adults and older people, who are also of primary importance.
I also have in mind a solidarity programme to start in the year 2002, which will be presented and discussed in Maastricht. Needless to say, many national federations have already benefited from our interaction with the IOC and our advice in promoting our sport.

Thank you, José, it was a pleasure to talk to you.

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