Lavazza Brew Too Strong For Stoppa   All smiles from the newly crowned Champions   The Silver Medals go to France It is Team Lavazza, predominantly Italian with a dash of Austrian that is crowned as the new European Bridge Mixed Team Champions. Congratulations to Maria Teresa Lavazza, Giorgio Duboin, Alfredo Versace, Monica Cuzzi, , Guido Ferraro & Maria Erhart. They breezed past the French squad Stoppa, Danielle Avon, Marianne Serf, Jean-Louis Stoppa, François Stretz by 81 IMPs. Third place went to Popova, a tripartite alliance of Bulgaria, Israel & Turkey, Dessy Popova, Rossen Gunev, Ahu Zobu, Ofer Haramati (the latter playing in only his second ever tournament!). They overpowered Mali's Norwegian/Polish combination of Artur Malinowski, Anna Sarniak, Siv Thoresen & Tomasz Winciorek by 41 IMPs.

The 7th European Mixed Championships held in Oostende, Belgium from 16 to 22 March 2002. This is the last EBL competition held in March, as the new EBL Calendar provides a European competition every June (for details check the Competition section).

The 2002 event is the seventh of the series that was inaugurated in 1990 in Bordeaux, France. As a biennial competition, it was held in 1992 in Oostende, Belgium; in 1994, in Barcelona, Spain; in 1996, in Monaco; in 1998, in Aachen, Germany; and in 2000, in Bellaria (Rimini), Italy.

The European Mixed Championships have been attracting an ever increasing number of Europe' s top bridge players. In Monaco, 1996, 370 pairs and 83 teams took part, representing 25 countries. Two years later,in Aachen, Germany, there were 397 pairs and 97 teams from 30 countries. Bellaria 2000, was a record success having welcomed 456 pairs and 101 teams from 33 Countries! The current holders of the teams competition, are Denmark's Jens & Sabine Auken and Peter & Dorthe Schaltz. The Mixed Pairs winners in Bellaria were Monoca Buratti and Carlo Mariani of Italy.
 

The winners of the Mixed Teams event Jens & Sabine Auken, Peter & Dorthe Schaltz.		The gold medal winners of the Mixed Pairs in Bellaria, Monoca Buratti and Carlo Mariani from Italy. The silver medal was won by Marlene and Michel Duguet of France and the bronze by Elena Maitova and Tim Zlotov of Russia.