I have been asked to send you the following information about the World Bridge Olympiad, and especially about the Transnational Mixed Teams, and ask you to make as much publicity about the event as you can, in your newspaper column, your magazine articles and on any websites that you may be involved with. Please help us to ensure the success of this event, by letting as many bridge players as possible know about it, and know that they can enter.

Best regards
anna

THE WORLD BRIDGE OLYMPIAD

Istanbul, Turkey, 23 October - 6 November 2004

 

Istanbul – a fabulous city where East meets West, the bridge between Europe and Asia, a thriving metropolis of 12 million people – exotic yet distinctly western – a meeting place for peoples of many religions and cultures who came together and learned to live in peace and harmony. Ultra-modern amenities, the splendours of the Ottoman past and the honoured traditions of Turkish hospitality combine to make Istanbul a fascinating city, one that will impress all visitors with treasured and lasting memories.

 

Istanbul will reward you with the comfort of home while offering sights, sounds and smells that carry you swiftly to another culture, another time. This vibrant, exciting city is really accessible from all parts of the world, served by more than 50 airlines. Every major European Airport is 2-3 hours away. There are frequent non-stop or direct flights to Istanbul from most European cities, and all the important cities in the world. Istanbul is a treasure trove of sight-seeing possibilities, and has many wonderful places that should not be missed –for example, Tokapi Palace: the residence of the Sultan for four centuries, a city within the city; the Blue Mosque; St Sophia; the Basilica Cistern; the spice market; Rumeli Castle and many other historic monuments –followed, of course, by a shopping expedition to the Grand Bazaar.

 

The World Bridge Olympiad will be held in the heart of Istanbul at the Grand Cevahir Hotel and Convention Centre which is a truly luxurious deluxe hotel. It combines a state of the art convention centre with an extremely comfortable hotel, ideal for such a prestigious Championship. Accommodation will also be available in hotels nearby which will include 2 and 3 star hotels as well as the more expensive 4 and 5 star hotels, so that as wide a range of rates as possible can be offered to players coming to the Championships.

 

Five major Championships will be staged during the course of the two weeks, with the most important being the 12th World Open and Women's World Team Olympiad. The 2nd Senior International Cup will be held during the first week, the 2nd World University Teams Bridge Cup will be held during the second week, and the 3rd World Transnational Mixed Teams Championship will also be held during the second week, enabling players eliminated from the Olympiad to participate in this enjoyable and challenging event.

 

 3rd WORLD TRANSNATIONAL MIXED TEAMS CHAMPIONSHIP

 

This event has been a successful and exciting Championship since its inception in Rhodes when 86 teams competed.

 

We feel sure that many players would enjoy participating in this challenging event, which gives them the opportunity of pitting their bridge skills against some of the greatest players in the world, as well has having the chance to watch the exciting final stages of the World Team Olympiad on the expert vugraph presentation.

 

Entry fees: free for the eliminated players US $ 800 for a new team If a team is composed of players eliminated from the Olympiad together with players who have not competed in the Olympiad, the players who have not competed will be charged US $150 per head if it is a team of six, or $200 per head if it is a team of four. Teams must consist of at least two women and two men from any country, playing in Mixed partnerships. The Transnational Mixed Teams will be played during the second week of the Championships, starting on Tuesday 2 November, with 15 rounds of 10 boards being played for the qualification to the semi-finals and final. Teams wishing to enter this event should contact their NBO as soon as possible to request nomination. In any event, entries should be made before 15th August 2004, although late entries may be accepted provided there is sufficient space at the venue.