Indian Teams Achieve World Qualification After Stellar Performance at Bridge Federation of Asia and Middle East Championship
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Synopsis
India achieved remarkable success at the Bridge Federation of Asia and Middle East championships in Dubai, winning three golds and one silver. This performance secures qualification for the upcoming World Bridge Championships in Denmark, with Indian teams prepared to face tougher competition ahead.
Key Takeaways
- India won three gold medals and one silver at the championships.
- All four Indian teams qualified for the World Bridge Championships.
- The event will take place in Herning, Denmark.
- Significant support from the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports.
- Preparation for tougher competition ahead.
New Delhi, April 19 (NationPress) India secured three gold medals and a silver at the Bridge Federation of Asia and Middle East championships, which concluded in Dubai on Friday. The Indian men’s, women’s, and seniors’ teams each clinched gold, while the mixed team took home silver in this tournament held from April 10-18 under the auspices of the World Bridge Federation.
All four Indian teams have successfully qualified for the 47th World Bridge Championships, scheduled to take place in Herning, Denmark from August 20-31. The 2025 World Bridge Championships will feature prestigious events including the Bermuda Bowl, Venice Cup, D'Orsi Trophy, and Wuhan Cup. India is set to compete against 66 teams from 35 nations, with countries qualifying for the global event from seven different zones.
The members of the gold-winning men’s team included: Sumit Mukherjee, Rajeshwar Tewari, Sagnik Roy, Kaustabh Nandi, Kaustubh Milind Bendre, and Sayantan Kushari, with Debasish Ray serving as coach and non-playing captain.
The women’s team that won gold comprised: Puja Batra, Asha Sharma, Bindiya Kohli, Priya Balasubramanian, Bharati Dey, and Alka M Kshirsagar, with Arvind Vaidya as coach and non-playing captain.
The seniors’ team that took home gold consisted of Ramaratnam Krishnan, B Prabhakar, Bachiraju Satyanarayana, Jaggy B Shivdasani, Subhash Gupta, and Ravi Goenka, led by coach and non-playing captain Girish Bijoor.
For the mixed team that earned silver, the members were: Rajeev Khandelwal, Himani Khandelwal, Rana Roy, Sheetal Bansal, Priya Ranjan Sinha, and Bindiya Naidoo, coached by Vinay Desai.
Debasish Ray, a former international player and India’s chef-de-mission, described the achievement as a “clean sweep” among the 25 teams from nine foreign countries in Dubai, stating, “The competition will be significantly tougher at the world championships in Denmark, and we must prepare diligently in the upcoming months,” Ray told SAI Media.
Ray indicated that there might be adjustments to the Indian teams participating in the world championships based on insights from the coaches' assessments.
Bridge receives robust support from the Sports Authority of India, and Ray expressed gratitude to the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports for their assistance, emphasizing that without this support, such accomplishments would not have been possible.
Since 2017, the sports ministry has been backing the Bridge Federation of India, with the Annual Calendar for Training and Competition (ACTC) covering expenses related to training camps, international competitions, coaching, and equipment. This support extends to players at senior, junior, and sub-junior levels, with an average of Rs 2.55 crore per year spent on bridge in the last three years.
