The
President of us all
Interview with Gianarrigo Rona
Giannarigo (61) is the son of Anna
Claudia Rona, who was Italian Bridge Champion a number of
times. He started playing bridge aftergraduating. In 1975
he became an administrator at national level as a member
of the group of national of tournament directors. In 1978
he became a board member and in 1986 he was elected President
of the FIGB, the Italian Bridge Federation. In 1995 he was
elected a member of the EBL Executive, of which he became
President in 1999. His star sign is Scorpion and his ascendant
is Scorpion as well. In football, he is a supporter of Inter,
one of the two great old rivals in Milan, but he loves all
sports, as well as film and travelling.
Q. Three adjectives to define who you
are?
A. Egocentric, generous, optimistic.
Q. You tend to always deal with everything
yourself. Is that because of excessive feelings of being
obliged to do so or more because of lack of confidence in
others?
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A. It´s a sense of perfection. I always
want, rightly or wrongly, that the things are done exactly the
way I want them to be done according to my own mental organisation
blueprint. As it is practically impossible that other people can
interpret the things I have in mind in exactly the same way as
I would do, it might happen from time to time that I will do those
things completely on my own.
Q. What do you consider the most positive
aspect of being President of the EBL and what the most negative?
A. The positive aspect derives from the sense
of gratitude that occurs at the moment when you can make so many
bridge lovers feel happy by doing something good for them. The
negative aspect, on the contrary, mainly consists of the unpleasant
feeling of inability that occurs from time to time when we are
confronted with the lack of economic autonomy in our structure.
Q. The mythological lamp of Aladdin is here
and your three wishes will be listened to. What would you desire?
A. As I think that the only certainty is
death, I would ask for good health and for the postponement of
this lethal appointment for as long as possible, not only for
me but for everyone whom I love. Secondly, taking into account
that I am in very good health at the moment, I would like to start
travelling around the world with my wife and my dog, reading the
enormous bushel of books I have never stopped buying but also
never managed to read yet. Finally, I would like to be able to
say goodbye to all this what I am doing at the moment with the
feeling that I have done a few good things for other people.
Q. What do you dislike in other people?
A. Hypocrisy and dishonest talk.
Q. And in yourself?
A. Certain outbreaks of rage and a few instances
of thoughtlessness.
Q. Bridge for you is
A. A very precisely chosen way of life.
Q. Have you ever been afraid of anything?
A. In my opinion anxiety does not exist and
I am doing everything possible to remain coherent with this conviction.
Only one exception: an earthquake would really panic me.
Q. You are the Italian Prime Minister for
one day. Which three things would you do first?
A. First of all, I would make more money
available for scientific research. Next, I would create special
schools for parents, in which they would be forced to learn how
to bring up their children. After this has been arranged for,
I would put the brakes on all those people who seem to have an
opinion on everything, a rapidly expanding species, in such a
way that one would be obliged to concentrate first on one´s
own profession.
Q. If you could do things all over again
?
A. I would make exactly the same mistakes
as in the past, also because I am convinced that it would not
have been possible for me to have a positive approach to the new
situations I have been confronted with in my life without the
negative experiences suffered in the past. Fortunately enough,
I do not feel any remorse nor any sense of missed chances.
Q. What do you consider the most astonishing
thing in life?
A. It still is totally incomprehensible for
me why people can be enemies for racial, religious or political
reasons only.
Q. And in the world of bridge?
A. Often I am wondering why there are people
even today who believe that bridge is a social affair for countesses
and retired generals instead of a real sport, a factor of educational
and cultural value.
Q. What would you like your epitaph to be?
A. Here lies a man who is dead.
Q. Your all-time top ten of bridge?
A. Excluding the present Italian team and
not in any specific order: Belladonna, Garozzo, Forquet, Crawford,
Jacoby, Slavenburg, Chemla, Gawrys, Helgemo, Fucik
Q. Many bridge players are convinced that,
when things are getting worse, the Goddess of Fortune is the main
contestant at the green table
A. No, I think that the only misfortune you
might incur during your life is getting locked up in an elevator
with a furious Mike Tyson
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