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José
Damiani
The President of the World Bridge Federation
recently found the time for an interview
with Mark Horton.
I would like to begin by finding
out a little more about about José Damiani when he is not engaged
in the role of President. Tell me about your family life.
It is the most enjoyable part of life,
with my wife Monique, my daughter Caroline, who is married to a
very good bridge player, my sons Laurent and Emmanuel, who are working
in our company, and my six grand children.
How did bridge become a part
of your life?
By accident, because I discovered
that I had congenital osteonecrose while I was engaged in
two tennis tournaments, and I had to stop playing. Then I decided
to play bridge, and I was lucky enough to find good partners, and
I was asked to become President of the club because of the illness
of my best friend. Later on I was asked to become President of the
District, and then I was asked to be President…
Your triumphs at the table?
I won six National French Championships,
many Festivals, and recently a medal in the European Mixed Pairs
Championships, as well as a silver medal in the Senior European
Team Championships. Clearly I spend much more time on administration
that at the bridge table.
Is being President of the WBF
a full time job?
Unfortunately yes! It is on voluntary
basis, but I like to do it properly and the promotion of the game
is in my view just as important as the organisation. That is especially
important now, and with our aim to become an Olympic discipline,
it never ends.
You have a brilliant record in
attracting sponsors, and keeping them. What advice would you offer
to other bridge organisations that have been less successful?
You are right to mention in the same
sentence 'attracting sponsors and keeping them'. As a matter of
fact it is not difficult to attract them, but in order to keep them
you have to show respect, to work for them, to give them what they
are entitled to get back.
The Olympics: What is the latest
news?
We have a strategy and we follow
it. This means that we are working to be present in Salt Lake City,
even with a single exhibition match, because our aim is really Turin
2006. I understand that negotiations are taking place between the
IOC, FIDE (World Chess Federation) and Australian Chess Federation
on chess having a presence at the Sydney Olympics.
Will bridge have a presence?
I heard the same rumours and I asked
my Australian friends to inquire. I also met some people from the
Sydney Organizing Committee and nobody was able to confirm. As you
know, in Chess there are two organisations which are competitors
, FIDE and the Chess PGA led by Garry Kasparov. Perhaps there is
something happening with the latter, but we all recognise that bridge
and chess have a common destiny.
Mentioning chess, France has
recognised it as a sport. What about bridge?
As far I know we have the same status
with the Ministry of Sports. At the beginning of May, I met the
President of the CNOSF (the French National Olympic Committee) and
the French Bridge Federation has by now sent its application. I
strongly believe the FFB will be accepted before the end of the
year 2000.
Do you have any news about the
next Bermuda Bowl?
We have signed a contract with the
Indonesian Bridge Federation to organise in Bali the next Bermuda
Bowl and Venice Cup and the Transnational Open Teams, at the end
of October/beginning of November 2001. It will be a marvellous venue
and site, and I do not have any reason today to have any doubt about
what will be a great success.
As I understand it, you have
been very successful in France in developing a schools programme.
Can you tell us about this and how it was achieved?
In fact I have worked on that with
Jean Claude Beineix while he was President of the FFB. We got the
support of the Minister of Education and Schools. We got sponsors:
BP and Nesquik to cover the expenses of the seminar to train first
the teachers, and finally we got the support of the parents and
the media. But there is still a lot to do in that field.
In this year's Generali Masters,
a Junior event was included. Are there any plans to include a Senior
event in the future?
Not at all, for a simple reason:
From the beginning we have invited the most famous seniors and everybody
has still in mind the standing ovation given to Giorgio Belladona,
or the bronze medals won by Jean Marc Roudinesco and Bobby Wolff.
As part of our policy towards the Olympics, it was clear that we
had to have a Junior event.
Bridge on Television. Do you
see any way in which it can be done?
I have shown in the past how to
do it. After Geneva, and the Generali, we had edited highlights,
which attracted several million viewers. The problem is that it
is expensive to make such programmes, and from now on we may have
free TV on the Internet with, in a few months time, very good image
quality and a very simple method of access onto your TV screen.
We have come a long way in the
last ten years, especially in the use of technology. What further
developments do you envisage?
For more than twenty years now I
have spent a lot of time in the use of technology, especially in
communication, and our bridge show presentations on VuGraph. I am
now sure that the Internet revolution will be of great benefit for
bridge, because bridge is also the best example of the use of the
Internet. Furthermore it opens the field for teaching and learning.
Is there anything you would like
to add, or request that be done to promote bridge in any way?
This is very much an open question!
Of course you know that development is my passion. As Club President
I managed to increase the club members, in three years, from 90
to 220.
As District President, also in three years, from 400 to 1200.
As French Bridge Federation President, in five years from 18,000
to 44,000.
As European Bridge League President: in 1987 we numbered 240,000,
and 370,000 when I left in 1995.
I am convinced that the present stagnant figures are unacceptable,
and I want to promote with the National Federations a development
program towards Youth, but especially without neglecting the adults,
and the older, which are also of primary importance. I have in mind
also a solidarity program to start in the year 2002, which will
be presented and discussed in Maastricht. But many Federations have
already benefited from our action with the IOC and our advice in
promoting our sport.
Thank you José, it was a pleasure
to talk to you.
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