A record number of teams have converged on Istanbul, one of the world’s great cities, for the 12th World Bridge Olympiad and three other major bridge competitions.

The Open series will be contested among 72 teams. In the Women’s event, 43 teams will vie for the world championship. In the 2nd International Senior Cup, 29 teams are waiting for the first match, set for Sunday, when all competiton begins.

In addition to the Olympiad and Senior competitions, there are two other major events on the schedule: the 3rd World Transnational Mixed Teams Championship and the 2nd World University Teams Championship.

In the Open series, Italy will attempt to defend the championship they won in Maastricht, Netherlands, in 2000. Four members of that squad, which defeated Poland in a close final match, will return. They are Norberto Bocchi, Giorgio Duboin, Lorenzo Lauria and Alfredo Versace.

In the Women’s series, the defending champions are from the USA, but the lineup for this year’s team is completely different from the squad that defeated Canada in the final in Maastricht. One member of this year’s team, Jill Meyers, was a member of the winning squad in the Mixed Teams in Maastricht.

Damiani Honored by French Government

WBF President Jose Damiani, left, receives Legion of Insignia of Officer at the Austomobile Club of France from Antoine Berheim, president of the Generali Group

While players are getting ready for the competition, WBF President Jose Damiani is still accepting congratulations on his appointment earlier this month as Officier de la Legion D’Honneur, one of the highest honors to be bestowed on civilians in France.
Damiani was already a member of the Legion of Honor. The latest appointment represents a promotion within that rank..

The award was announced by French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin and was presented by Antoine Bernheim, president of the Generali Group, on Oct. 14 at the Automobile Club of France in Paris.

The Legion of Honor is meant to recognize outstanding achievement in the national interest of France. Damiani has been involved in bridge administration for decades, as president of the European Bridge League and, since 1994, as World Bridge Federation president.

Since Damiani took over as WBF president, bridge has made significant advances in recognition by the International Olympic Committee and has been declared a sport by that body.

Damiani helped organize a special bridge match in Salt Lake City on the eve of the 2000 Winter Olympic Games, and he has been determined in his quest to have bridge become a part of Olympic competition.