THE WORLD BRIDGE TOUR
The WBF has written to ABF Marketing asking us to promote the launch of the WBF World Tour. The announcement provides some key points including:
“Already in 2019 the WBF took the decision to launch a yearly “World Bridge Tour”, consisting of existing face-to-face international events, culminating in a Tour Final among the top ranked partnerships. Then Covid happened – ending most international face-to-face events.
As face-to-face events are getting back we will now finally launch the Tour, starting with a “dry-run” in the 2023 season, to fine-tune the ranking methods and classification of events. It would then go live as of the 2024 season.”
More WBF information is below and we will publish further details as they are provided by the WBF.
Our President, Allison Stralow, is highly enthusiastic and saw it as an opportunity to offer the Gold Coast Congress from 17 – 25 February 2023 as a trial launching pad for the World Tour. She quickly worked with Australian Ben Thompson, who was recently appointed the First Vice-President of the WBF and Tim Runting the Convenor of the GCC, to quickly put together a proposal.
Allison’s response to the WBF President Elect Jan Kamras, who was already coming to the Gold Coast event, points out the great success of the GCC and that in 2020 there were 9,007 tables played (which is greater than the 6,677 tables just played recently at the NABC in Phoenix Arizona.)
The President also provided a list of all the international players from Argentina, Canada, Croatia, Germany , Netherlands, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Sweden and the USA plus 191 NZ players coming to the 2023 GCC. These include the current world champion Daniella Von Arnim, plus Kevin Rosenberg and Finn Kolesnik who recently won the NABC Soloway Teams with Australian, Ishmael Delmonte.
After recent outstanding performance by Australian players on the International scene the World Tour will be a great opportunity to promote the GCC and Australia to the bridge world. However, this is very early in the proposal and as in business and politics often the ‘devils in the detail.’
The President of the ABF has now announced:
“I am pleased to tell you the WBF has now approved the GCC Open Pairs and the Open Teams will be included in the 2023 dry run and the ‘kick off’ in the Southern hemisphere.
The good thing is it will cost Australia nothing and the ABF will help the WBF with future planning.”
WBF Launching World Tour – Letter from the WBF
WBF World Tour dry run 2023 – Response Proposal from the ABF
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