t has been nearly a decade already since the introduction of the World Junior Camp, and the WBF Youth Committee is proud to announce that the fifth event of the series will take place in a wonderful holiday center, in Hungary’s Várgesztes Villapark, 7-14 July 2003.

Junior Bridge Camps have existed in Europe for over a quarter of a century, and played a very important role in the development of the game among young people.

Camps do not mainly address the champion players but the lesser mortals; they aim at helping young people make new friends, and strengthen ties already developed between older friends, under the umbrella of their common hobby. In the Camps there are very few rules, but many possibilities open to those who wish to take them. Many great players, including some of today’s World Champions, started their careers as shy participants at the European Camps where the rule has been that whoever joined once, came back again and again.

The WBF is happy that, with the cooperation of the European Bridge League and the support of the American Contract Bridge League, many obvious difficulties in the establishment of a World Junior Camp were overcome and the first events were quite successful. This year we expect an even greater success and we wish to thank the Hungarian Bridge Federation for undertaking to host the event.

We hope that all Zones and NBOs will back the World Junior Camp by advocating it to their Junior players and by supporting them, financially and otherwise, to participate. It may not be obvious, but as the concept of the Junior Camp spreads around the world, so will bridge itself!