BASA, Bridge Association of Saudi Arabia has now been recognized by the World Bridge Federation (WBF). The WBF is divided into eight zones worldwide. Zone #4 is administered by the BFAME, Bridge Federation of Asia & the Middle East. The current President of BFAME is Ghassan Ghanem of Jordan. Zonal championships qualify teams to participate in worldwide championships. The 14th BFAME Championships were held in Karachi in May 2007. That competition was a memorable shootout where Open teams from India and Pakistan dominated the field. India won narrowly, winning 235 over Pakistans 233. India also took home the championship for the Senior team, while Jordan took honors in women's class. The 15th BFAME Championships are scheduled for May 2009 at Damascus. BASA has been invited to send up to three teams of 4-6 players to participate in Damascus. The 1st and 2nd place Open teams qualify to attend the “Bermuda Bowl”. The prestigious Bermuda Bowl is the World Championships for contract bridge. Women's and senior teams will also qualify to attend the “Venice Cup” and “Senior Bowl” respectively. Bridge, a true sport of the mind, has been trying to gain entry into Olympics for some time now. Under the Olympic Charter, the criterion for belonging to the Olympic Movement is recognition by the IOC. The WBF logo and flag are included in IOC publications and displays. BASA is currently open to membership to all bridge players legally residing in Saudi Arabia. BASA Masterpoints are issued for all sanctioned events and lifetime masterpoints are accumulated. For details visit [email protected] or call 0506061057. __
