Auf Wiedersehen, Aachen!


Bill Pencharz

Ladies & Gentlemen,

For all of you - and especially the medallists and other prizewinners - the Prize Giving is your ceremony. Therefore I shall be brief.

But I believe I have time for one short reminiscence. When I was elected president of the European Bridge League I checked the EBL's library and discovered that we did not have a tape of the National Anthems of all our 42 member Countries.

Obviously we had the National Hymn of France, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland and so on. But not of Latvia and Malta; and some others!

It has been a difficult search at times. For example I had to go to the Consulate in Aberdeen (in Scotland) to obtain a tape of the Faroe Islands National Anthem. But we now have a copy, on CD or tape, of the National Hymn of all NBOs who are members of the EBL.

Here in Aachen my insistence that we have all the National Anthems has turned out to be wise. For the first time in an International Bridge Championships it will be your pleasure, and their pride, to hear the Anthem of the Croatian Team.

The marvellous performance of the Croatian Team shows once again that Bridge is a truly International sport, where all are included; all can participate.

Bravo to the Croatians!

Bravo to all the medallists!

And also Bravo to all the people who have worked in the 5th European Mixed Championships to make them such a success.

On your behalf I would like to thank the Tournament Directors, Bulletin Staff, Press Room, View- Graph Operators, Tournament Manager and his team of scorers, duplicators, workers and caddies, Hospitality Staff, and everyone else, front stage or back room, who have worked so hard over the last seven days.

And of course, not just for the last week. An event like the 5th European Mixed Championships took months, indeed nearly two years, of planning and organizing. The Championships have been a joint production - a real partnership - by the European Bridge League and the Deutsche Bridge-Verband.

And on behalf of the EBL I would like to present the President of the DBV, Dr Walter Hüger, with the EBL Plackette as a mark of appreciation of how much the German Federation has contributed to our joint venture. Now its time for medals, prizes and National Anthems. So I hand you back to Anna Maria. Thank you very much.

Bill Pencharz

President of the EBL

Results Contents
Teams, Round 14
Teams, Round 15
Teams, Final, Playoff
Auf Wiedesehen, Aahen!
Semifinal, 2nd half, by Brian Senior
Final Boards
Presidents Farewell Speech



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