During the Impact24 congress in Poznań in May, one of the most important socio-economic events in Central and Eastern Europe, an agreement was signed between the Poznań International Fair Group and the Polish Sports Bridge Association. The agreement, of course, applies to next year’s European Championships, which will be held from June 21 to July 5 on the MTP premises in the Poznań Congress Center (PCC) building. On behalf of the MTP Group, the agreement was signed by President of the Management Board Tomasz Kobierski and Vice-President Elżbieta Roeske, and PZBS was represented by President of the Management Board Marek Michałowski and Vice-President Igor Chalupec, who is also a member of the authorities of the European (EBL) and the World (WBF) Sports Bridge Federation. On the same day, an agreement on support for the championship was also signed by the authorities of Poznań, on whose behalf the first deputy mayor of the city, Jędrzej Solarski, acted. Both meetings were attended by the head of the European Championship Organizing Committee, Piotr Cieśliński (president of the Poznań Bridge Club).
The organizers expect that 2,000 participants will take part in the championship, including competitors from outside Europe, as the event is open (Open formula). This means that EVERYONE who pays the entry fee can take part in tournaments from the main series (for Poles, the PZBS authorities negotiated a 30 percent reduction with EBL). Separate competitions are also planned for players just starting their adventure with bridge. During the championship, a rich collection of playing cards from Grzegorz Samola’s collection will also be presented – this exhibition will be visible in the rooms where amateur tournaments will be held; will be available to all visitors. The graphic design of the event, which is currently being created, refers to the colors and architecture of Poznań, and the motto is “Bridge to Poznań”.
It is worth recalling that Poland was recently visited by Eric Laurant, president of EBL, who was a guest (also playing!) at the Poznań Bridge Congress (1-4/05/24), also organized at PCC. On this occasion, the Dutchman said: I am extremely positively surprised, compared to 2011 [when the European Championship was also held in Poznań], the city center looks completely modernized, and the competition venue is ultra-modern. You also have a professional team in Poznań that guarantees the perfect conduct of the competition.
On Wednesday, May 15, in Poznań, agreements were signed regarding organizational cooperation and support for next year’s European Championships. From the left: representatives of the Management Board of Grupa MTP – vice-president Elżbieta Roeske and president Tomasz Kobierski, president of Poznań Jacek Jaśkowiak and representatives of the Management Board of PZBS – president Marek Michałowski and vice-president Igor Chalupec.
After signing the contract in the city hall – from the left, vice-president of PZBS Igor Chalupec, first deputy mayor of Poznań Jędrzej Solarski, president of the Management Board of PZBS Marek Michałowski and head of the Organizing Committee of the European Championship Piotr Cieśliński.
