Dispatch from the President Kirubakara Moorthy
November 10, 2013
Wishing you all and to members of your family a very Happy Deepavali. You may please go through the following and get back with your meaningful suggestions and advices:
Bermuda Bowl 2013
Let’s get back to a bit in the past; trials were organised for the various categories to identify teams for BFAME Championship. Open team trial was held in Pune immediately after the Tolani Summer Nationals. Women’s trials were in Delhi to identify top 6 pairs via a Swiss Pairs format. Senior trial was in Chennai. There was only a short time period between the trials and the BFAME event. All the teams did well for the ticket to Bali for Bermuda Bowl, Venice Cup and d’Orsi trophy. Unfortunately, the Indian performance in Bali was not up to the mark.
The Way Forward
2014 is scheduled for Rosenblum Cup the Open Championship to be held in China in October, we have significant lead time to select the National teams for 2015. I have in mind to organize the trials between May-Aug 2014 for the teams selections, after Bhartia and Summer Nationals which are scheduled in March and April respectively. This will ensure significant time period for coaching, training and practising.
A different approach is being considered for the Women’s category. I propose that we nominate a group of around 20 top individual women players who can partner with and team up amongst themselves to compete in BFI events. Their performances will be tracked and monitored over period of time to further narrow down the group to 10 individuals (5 pairs). The top 3 pairs from this group will be finally selected to represent the country. This selection will be based on performance in the tournaments as well as in the practise sessions. This is currently a proposal and the final format will be firmed on the basis of feedbacks.
Team Sponsorship
This year, the BFI was unable to sponsor any of the teams other than the Open Team’s entry (thanks to a contribution from one of the members of the BFI). For the past 3 years, the BFI has managed to provide sponsorship for the Open team and the junior teams (either fully or at least 70%) and provide the entry fees for all the teams (other than the senior team).
While sponsorship can be sought from the Ministry of Sports, it must be noted that there are a number of specific requirements that need to be fulfilled by the competing teams as well as the Federation. For instance, it is mandatory that a report be submitted by all teams representing the country. None of our teams have submitted report thus far. These reports would also prove invaluable in preparing for future events. While the BFI can insist on submission, but the onus lies with the representing teams to fulfil these obligations.
Junior Development
Focus has been placed on promoting bridge among the younger generations. There are many promising youngsters around the country and a Junior Development team has been setup under the chairmanship of Sri Prasad Keni to further develop in this area. The BFI is committed in ensuring that we field a fully sponsored Junior team in 2014.
With warm regards to my bridge friends.
