WELCOME MESSAGE FROM THE EBL PRESIDENT

Authorities, distinguished guests, dear EBL NBO Presidents, dear EBL and TBF colleagues, ladies and gentlemen, dear friends,

Good evening and welcome to Antalya. After Menton 2003 and Arona 2005, we are here in Antalya to celebrate, all together, the European Open Championship. As per the past two editions we have worked very hard together with the Organizing Committee, the Turkish Bridge Federation and the Bentour Company to enable the participants to enjoy this event both while playing and relaxing. We have already had the opportunity to experience in Turkey two great bridge events, the Youth Teams Championship here in Antalya in 2000 and the Bridge Olympiad, the main event in our sport, in Istanbul in 2004. Both were an enormous success and we all have still its memory in our minds and in our hearts. As I have already said the great sport of bridge, returning once more to Turkey, has the chance to enjoy once again its atmosphere, its colours, tastes and smells and enjoy its natural beauties, the art and the culture of this land of extraordinary treasures. We have adopted the most sophisticated bridge technology for the competitions and are offering outstanding facilities to the participants during their stay. We can count on an extraordinary international staff to manage and run the championship. The World of Wonders Resort seems to have everything needed to be an optimal venue. It will allow the participants to combine the demands of the competition with relaxing moments, through the many complementary high standard services designed to offer the maximum comfort. Of course you will be the judges and I hope that at the end, going back home, you can state that we have been able to fulfill all our propositions. I wish to thank the Chairman of the Organizing Committee, my colleague and dear friend Sevinç Atay, the Turkish Bridge Federation and particularly its great President, Ata Aydin, under whose guidance the TBF has achieved so much, both with the quality of their players and with the number of members. I also wish to express our gratitude to the Antalya Authorities, led by the Mayor, Mr. Menderes Türel, MNG Company and its CEO Tayfun Turanlioglu, and Bentour International, represented by Armagan Dayioglu and the tireless Oktar Zengin. Without their support this event would have been impossible to organize. Finally I want to express my special appreciation to all our sponsor friends, who have offered such an important contribution and particularly to my friend Mehmet Akkasoglu, the real “deus ex machina” of this event. Now the curtain goes up and the stage is for you, the players, the true protagonists of the event. There are more than 1500 people representing 60 Countries from everywhere in the world who, I am sure, will heighten once again the true values of our discipline with fair-play, friendship and solidarity, above and against any difference and discrimination. In this period, one of the most sad in the history of human life, sport in general and bridge in particular wants to show and is always able to show, that it is possible to stay together, to enjoy everything together in peace and serenity. Bridge For Peace: this is our motto. This is our message to forward everywhere in the world. We are all proud of it. Under these auspices, I declare open the 3rd European Open Bridge Championship.

Gianarrigo Rona