39th World Team Championships Page 3 Bulletin 15 - Saturday evening 12 September 2009


Closing Speech by Ernesto D'Orsi

Everything has to have an end, so this championship is about to finish. I have good experience in organizing bridge championships, but I must say that this one was something very special, because we never before had so many people from so many countries.

Thirty-six countries were represented here and nothing less than 600 players and officials had the opportunity of enjoying beautiful sunshine and somewhat scary storms. As you see, we could provide anything to cover the most varied tastes.

Also, I hope they could feel the warm hospitality of the “paulistas.” We tried to be as helpful as possible and hope to have succeeded. And this only was possible thanks to the dedication of the hospitality and the organizational teams, with the great help of the hotel people, who were always available and willing to serve.

On the technical side of the organization, the extremely competent WBF staff gave us another lesson in competence and efficiency. The fantastic scoring system run by Tomas Brenning ably assisted by Carl Ragnarsson, Gianluca Barrese and Andreas Winge, and display of results, the intelligent on-line line-up, and the perfect duplication of 37,080 boards by Monica Gorreri and Franco Crosta built the frame of a tournament played with the highest level of ethics and skill that can be expected from the bridge players fighting for a world title.

But there was also the spectacle of the vu-graph with the dramatic images of the players in action, the perfect display of the hand and its development, and the presentation of the results of all competitions simultaneously. Operators and commentators Jean-Paul Meyer, Gabino Cintra, Barry Rigal and P.O. Sundelin, deserve our compliments and admiration.

In addition to all this fantastic apparatus, the indispensable team of tournament directors headed by Max Bavin and assisted by Gustavo Chediak, Bertrand Gignoux, Rui Marques, Jeanne Meiracker, Antonio Riccardi and Matt Smith. The best possible thing to be said about them is that they performed an irreproachable job.

The Bulletin Team, with its coordinator Jean-Paul Meyer, Editor Brent Manley, Phillip Alder, Mark Horton, Brian Senior, Layout editor Akis Kanaris and Web Editor Fotis Skoularikis and photographers Tatiana Barreto and Carol Folhasi.

The internet vu-graph broadcasts were provided by Bridge Base on Line.

The Press Room was ably overseen by Jan Swaan.

Behind the scenes on the technical side, Harvey Fox co-ordinated the IT, keeping the computers linked and the internet alive. Christine Francin, Anna Gudge and Carol von Linstow working within the WBF Secretariat.

Hervé Lustman and Jessie Carboneaux ran the Internet Vu-Graph working closely with the Vu-Graph team of Bernard Delange, Bernadette Pasquier and Isabelle Barrière.

Maurizio De Sacco did an excellent job of overseeing the entire operation with care and skill, working tirelessly throughout the event ably assisted by Duccio Geronimi and Manolo Eminenti.

We also have to thank the Appeals Committee, under the able Chairmanship of Joan Gerard: José Damiani, Grattan Endicott (Co-ordinator), Jens Auken, Ron Gerard, Eric Kokish, Ton Kooijmand, Jean-Paul Meyer, Jeffrey Polisner, Brian Senior, P.O. Sundelin and John Wignall.

Last, but certainly not least, I would like to thank “my” people, without whom I would never have been able to organize this Championship. They are Gabriela Bandeira, Roberto Barbosa, Renato Barros, Aline Biondillo, Paulo Brum, Samanta Carvalho, Claudia Cavalcanti, Matilde Confalonieri, Germana d’Orsi, Fernanda Joanitti, Andrea Junqueira, Hamilton Kabe, Dayse Kennedy, Nalita Hall, Sonia Landau, Fernanda Lema, Cecilia Malata, Gabriel Marccioni, Laurita Marccioni, Paula Marcondes, Marina Milos, Emilia Nunes, Bruno Pacheco, Lucilia Pereira, Tamara Pereira de Souza, Maria Lucia Racy, Hamilton Takeoka, Ariane Toledo and Miguel Villa-Boas Filho. My thanks also to Alexandre, Artur, Constantino, Felipe and Renan and to the Argentinians Christian, Daniel and Felipe

To my colleagues, bridge players, congratulations. The winners deserve their prizes, but the non-winners also deserve our recognition for their efforts and sportsmanship.

Finally, I want to say a special word to my friend José Damiani, WBF President, with whom I have been working with in perfect harmony for the last 25 years at least, the last 15 being proud of having him as the WBF President. Thank you, José, for giving us the chance to organize and stage such a splendid competition.

A special word also to the President elect another friend Gianarrigo Rona, who will head the WBF from 2011 on. Gianni, I wish you all the best, you can always count on my collaboration.

In conclusion, to all of you, from the very dedicated workers to the friends and also those who were rooting for the success of this event in their thoughts, and specially to my family who, in addition to the great help they have given me in each moment, have accepted my lack of attention during the long months I have been involved in this project.

Thank you. Please come back to Brazil as soon as possible. We will miss all of you and the ambience that you brought us during these two weeks.

Good bye, thank you.



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