The 3rd Maritime Silk Road Invitational Tournament took place in Quanzhou, the historic Fujian port whose harbours once anchored centuries of trade between China and the wider world.
At the opening ceremony, WBF Vice President Ben Thompson was joined at the official table by Mr Gui Shengyue (ๆก็ๆฆ), CEO of title sponsor Geely Automobile, together with senior officials from the Fujian Provincial Government and from the Quanzhou municipal and district authorities.
Thompson, who attended at the invitation of the organisers and gave the keynote address, congratulated the hosts on building a genuinely international gathering. “It takes ambition and courage to establish a new international bridge tournament,” he told the audience. “People from so many parts of the world coming together to play our beautiful game is a wonderful example of bringing to life the WBF’s motto of ‘Bridge for Peace,'” he added.
“China really leads the world in several important areas. For example, teaching bridge in schools,” he said, noting that other federations are now reporting similar success with school programmes around the world.
He also drew attention to an unexpected ripple effect from junior bridge: parents tend to follow. “When children are interested in bridge, their parents get interested too,” he observed.
Tournaments like this one, Thompson argued, occupy a critical rung on the ladder for emerging players. The international experience (and the demanding competition that comes with it) is, he said, exactly what tomorrow’s world champions need.
