The President of us all

Interview with Gianarrigo Rona

Giannarigo (61) is the son of Anna Claudia Rona, who was Italian Bridge Champion a number of times. He started playing bridge aftergraduating. In 1975 he became an administrator at national level as a member of the group of national of tournament directors. In 1978 he became a board member and in 1986 he was elected President of the FIGB, the Italian Bridge Federation. In 1995 he was elected a member of the EBL Executive, of which he became President in 1999. His star sign is Scorpion and his ascendant is Scorpion as well. In football, he is a supporter of Inter, one of the two great old rivals in Milan, but he loves all sports, as well as film and travelling. Q. Three adjectives to define who you are? A. Egocentric, generous, optimistic. Q. You tend to always deal with everything yourself. Is that because of excessive feelings of being obliged to do so or more because of lack of confidence in others?

A. It´s a sense of perfection. I always want, rightly or wrongly, that the things are done exactly the way I want them to be done according to my own mental organisation blueprint. As it is practically impossible that other people can interpret the things I have in mind in exactly the same way as I would do, it might happen from time to time that I will do those things completely on my own.

Q. What do you consider the most positive aspect of being President of the EBL and what the most negative?

A. The positive aspect derives from the sense of gratitude that occurs at the moment when you can make so many bridge lovers feel happy by doing something good for them. The negative aspect, on the contrary, mainly consists of the unpleasant feeling of inability that occurs from time to time when we are confronted with the lack of economic autonomy in our structure.

Q. The mythological lamp of Aladdin is here and your three wishes will be listened to. What would you desire?

A. As I think that the only certainty is death, I would ask for good health and for the postponement of this lethal appointment for as long as possible, not only for me but for everyone whom I love. Secondly, taking into account that I am in very good health at the moment, I would like to start travelling around the world with my wife and my dog, reading the enormous bushel of books I have never stopped buying but also never managed to read yet. Finally, I would like to be able to say goodbye to all this what I am doing at the moment with the feeling that I have done a few good things for other people.

Q. What do you dislike in other people?

A. Hypocrisy and dishonest talk.

Q. And in yourself?

A. Certain outbreaks of rage and a few instances of thoughtlessness.

Q. Bridge for you is…

A. A very precisely chosen way of life.

Q. Have you ever been afraid of anything?

A. In my opinion anxiety does not exist and I am doing everything possible to remain coherent with this conviction. Only one exception: an earthquake would really panic me.

Q. You are the Italian Prime Minister for one day. Which three things would you do first?

A. First of all, I would make more money available for scientific research. Next, I would create special schools for parents, in which they would be forced to learn how to bring up their children. After this has been arranged for, I would put the brakes on all those people who seem to have an opinion on everything, a rapidly expanding species, in such a way that one would be obliged to concentrate first on one´s own profession.

Q. If you could do things all over again…?

A. I would make exactly the same mistakes as in the past, also because I am convinced that it would not have been possible for me to have a positive approach to the new situations I have been confronted with in my life without the negative experiences suffered in the past. Fortunately enough, I do not feel any remorse nor any sense of missed chances.

Q. What do you consider the most astonishing thing in life?

A. It still is totally incomprehensible for me why people can be enemies for racial, religious or political reasons only.

Q. And in the world of bridge?

A. Often I am wondering why there are people even today who believe that bridge is a social affair for countesses and retired generals instead of a real sport, a factor of educational and cultural value.

Q. What would you like your epitaph to be?

A. Here lies a man who is dead.

Q. Your all-time top ten of bridge?

A. Excluding the present Italian team and not in any specific order: Belladonna, Garozzo, Forquet, Crawford, Jacoby, Slavenburg, Chemla, Gawrys, Helgemo, Fucik

Q. Many bridge players are convinced that, when things are getting worse, the Goddess of Fortune is the main contestant at the green table…

A. No, I think that the only misfortune you might incur during your life is getting locked up in an elevator with a furious Mike Tyson…

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