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Visit the bilingual city of Montreal in
2002 for the World Bridge Championships!
Montreal is an island city of over two
million people, situated in the Hochelaga Archipelago at the
confluence of the St. Lawrence and Ottawa rivers. Home to the
Iroquois until Paul de Chomedy de Maisonneuve - the founder
of Montreal - and four dozen colonists began constructing Ville-Marie
(Montreal) in 1642. Despite the ravages of city developers in
the 1970s, enough of Montreal's historic architecture still
remains to make the city a delight for citizens and visitors
alike.
Montreal is a genuinely bilingual city;
English is widely spoken but Montreal also has the second biggest
French speaking population of any city in the world. It is a
fitting venue for the biggest of the World Championships in
the WBF's four-year cycle. These are the biggest of the World
Championships because permitted entries are almost unlimited.
The Championships feature the World
Open Pairs, the World Women's Pairs, the World
Mixed Pairs, and the Rosenblum and McConnell
teams. There is a new championship, the IMP Pairs, plus
World Seniors Pairs and Teams Championships and
the Junior Triathlon. Alongside the championship events
is a full North American Regional and players will earn
both WBF and ACBL Master Points in both the Regional
and the World Championships.
The Daily Bulletin interviewed George
Retek who, as well as being WBF Treasurer and Vice-president,
is also the WBF Liaison Officer for the 2002 Championships.
George started by thanking WBF President, Jose Damiani for his
efforts, which have obtained substantial sponsorship for the
Championships. He told us that the Championships will be held
in two host hotels, the Bonaventure Hilton and Queen
Elizabeth, where 800 rooms have been reserved for the bridge
players. Rates for a standard room (single or double occupancy)
in the Queen Elizabeth will be US$120 and in the Bonaventure
Hilton US$160 - a substantial saving over the normal rates.
These rates are for bed only, without breakfast.
In all, around 2000 rooms will be required
for the Championships, and a block-booking has been made. These
can all be found within 5-15 minutes walk of the host hotels,
with prices ranging from US$75-120 for three-and four star accommodation.
At some of these hotels, either free parking or a free night's
accommodation will be offered for bookings of 10 nights or more.
While not pre-booked, cheaper accommodation can also be found
if required, starting from as little as US$30 per night. Anyone
needing details, please contact George Retek. It is advised
that visitors make their reservations early through the central
reservations bureau, especially for the host hotels. A full
list of hotels and room rates will be available by the end of
the year. Anyone who would like a copy sending to them may leave
their name at the WBF Office on the top floor of the
MECC here in Maastricht
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Montreal is one of the least expensive
major cities in the world and probably the least expensive on
the North American continent. All prices for hotel accommodation
and merchandise purchased are subject to 15% Value Added Tax,
but this is fully refundable to visitors to Canada, and forms
for this purpose will be included in the registration bag at
the Championships.
There are hundreds of restaurants in the
hotel and within 10 minutes walk of the venue. Almost all kinds
of cuisine can be found to suit all tastes, and with prices
ranging from C$5-100, all pockets can also be catered to.
The bilingual nature of the city allows
visitors to have the best of both traditions - French charm
and English practicality (certainly better than the other way
around). The Montreal bridge community, led by Chairman
Tibor Bertalan, is already hard at work making preparations
to see that all visitors feel at home and comfortable during
their stay.
Montreal is a city where people talk to
each other, where the city is as lively at night as it is during
the day. There is a fabulous range of night life and the bars
and restaurants stay open well into the night. You can take
the métro (the subway) or wander through the city centre
and its many neighbourhoods without fear of being mugged, and
can sip café au lait on a sidewalk terrace or indulge in the
best smoked meat sandwich on the continent. Montrealers are
passionate about culture, politics, and food. There is a famous
underground city with sparkling stores, eating places
and bars. This is fully air-conditioned, as are all the hotels,
so that visitors need not worry about the weather.
 The
Montreal International Film Festival is taking place
at the same time as the Championships, which is great news for
cinema buffs. There are, of course, all the museums and art
galleries you would expect of a major world city. Sports fans
will also be well catered for. The dates for 2002 have not yet
been set, but in 2000 a major Women's tennis tournament
was held in Montreal ending around the date that the bridge
championships are to begin in two years time, and the tennis
will be held again in 2002.
Subject to demand, optional excursions
will be run to the Laurentian Mountains, Niagara Falls,
and New York City.
So, why not plan to come to the marvelous
city of Montreal for what should be the truly memorable 2002
World Bridge Championships.
Anyone seeking further information about
the 2002 Championships, please contact George Retek here in
Maastricht or Chairman Tibor Bertalan in Montreal
(e-mail: uperdentist@toothfairy.com).
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