Team Herald
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PANJIM: Goa’s Kamryn Menezes and Johann Pinto from Panjim will travel to Wujiang in China to represent India at the 17th World Bridge Youth Team Championships which will be held at the Souzhou Sports & Convention Complex from the August 8 to 18. They will participate in the U-16 team event for the Koc University Trophy.
The U-16 Indian team comprises 3 pairs. Kamryn and Johann will be joined by Vinay and Kunal Patel, from Madhya Pradesh and Shashank Nair and Shrinidhi Jaiswal from Bengaluru.
India will also compete in the U-21 and the U-26 team competitions.
Johann, a student of Don Bosco High school, is a first time competitor at a world championship. He has been learning the game for nearly a year.
A champion swimmer at the national level, Johann says that playing bridge helps him improve his focus and concentration, two qualities which are also vital to his swimming training.
Kamryn, a student of Our Lady of the Rosary High school, has been playing bridge for close to two years and will be competing in her second World C’ships having played last year in Lyon, France. Kamryn enjoys the thrill of competition and opportunities to travel and visit new places.
She opines that bridge offers great opportunity to make friends spanning across the globe.
Bridge has long been a game in the shadows, being played usually in English clubs, Defence and Civil Services personnel and upper crust kitty parties.
It has only recently emerged as an excellent learning tool after several research studies published by renowned American and European Universities and Medical colleges.
The Director of Sports V M Prabhudesai while felicitating the young pair stated that although bridge has been played in the state for the last four decades, it is only during the last two years that Goan players have started excelling, thanks largely to the efforts of the Goan president of the Indian Bridge Federation, Prasad Keni. Goans have played, organised and administered the sport at the highest level with great success and promising results at the sub-junior and junior categories.
Bridge is also featuring as a sport at the 18th Asian Games commencing in Jakarta, Indonesia from the August 18. Six events including both team and pair contests will feature at the multi-disciplinary sports extravaganza.
While commenting on its inclusion in the next three Asian Games, Prabhudesai opined that it will provide a big boost to the sport in Goa. Bridge is a mind sport and Goans are naturally gifted with high intellect and can therefore perform well in its competition.
Prasad Keni while speaking to the players felt encouraged that their respective school principals Fr. Avin Carvalho and Sr. Elisabeth Mathai have been supportive of these young players competitive spirit, encouraging them despite their having to sit for their SSCE boards at the end of the academic year.
