India's bridge contingent delivered a stellar performance at the Bridge Federation of Asia and the Middle East (BFAME) championships, concluding on Friday in Dubai. Indian teams clinched three gold medals and one silver, ensuring qualification for all four competing categories at the upcoming 47th World Bridge Championships. (More Sports News)
The tournament, held from April 10th to 18th under the World Bridge Federation's auspices, served as a crucial zonal qualifier. India emerged victorious in the Men's, Women's, and Seniors' categories, securing gold medals in each. The Mixed team added to the impressive tally with a silver medal finish.
This dominant showing guarantees India representation in all four major events at the World Championships in Herning, Denmark, scheduled for August 20-31, 2025. The Indian teams will compete for the prestigious Bermuda Bowl (Men), Venice Cup (Women), D'Orsi Trophy (Seniors), and Wuhan Cup (Mixed) against an expected field of 66 teams from 35 nations across seven qualifying zones.
Debasish Ray, India's chef-de-mission and a former international player, described the outcome in Dubai, which featured 25 teams from nine visiting countries, as a "clean sweep." However, he cautioned that the global stage presents a bigger challenge. "The competition will be much stronger at the world championships in Denmark, and we have to work hard in the next three to four months," Ray stated, also noting that final team selections for Denmark might see adjustments based on coaches' evaluations.
Ray expressed gratitude for the backing received from Indian sports authorities. "We are obliged to the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports for the support without which we couldn't have reached this level," he said.
The Bridge Federation of India has received consistent support from the ministry since 2017, with an average of Rs 2.55 crores allocated annually over the past three years through the Annual Calendar for Training and Competition (ACTC). This funding covers essential expenses like training camps, international participation, coaching, and equipment for players across various levels.
India's Medal-Winning Squads in Dubai
Men (Gold): Sumit Mukherjee & Rajeshwar Tewari; Sagnik Roy & Kaustabh Nandi; Kaustubh Milind Bendre & Sayantan Kushari. Coach: Debasish Ray.
Women (Gold): Puja Batra & Asha Sharma; Bindiya Kohli & Priya Balasubramanian; Bharati Dey & Alka M Kshirsagar. Coach: Arvind Vaidya.
Seniors (Gold): Ramaratnam Krishnan & B Prabhakar; Bachiraju Satyanarayana & Jaggy B Shivdasani; Subhash Gupta & Ravi Goenka. Coach: Girish Bijoor.
Mixed (Silver): Rajeev Khandelwal & Himani Khandelwal; Rana Roy & Sheetal Bansal; Priya Ranjan Sinha & Bindiya Naidoo. Coach: Vinay Desai.
With all four teams now qualified, the focus shifts to preparation for the demanding World Bridge Championships in Denmark later this year.
