Multisport Association of Russia

under the support of the International Mind Sports Association (IMSA)

organized by the Multisport Association of Russia

Executive director of the Forum –

Multisport Association of Russia Secretary General Alexey Kylasov

Russian Sport Bridge Federation Executive Director Maria Nikityuk

Plaksin, Rodionov, Damiani, Ilyumzhinov, Ptitsyn, Gavrilov

- Mind Games Moscow Open which are supposed to be held on February, 2-10 2008.
- Participation of Russian National Team in the World Mind Sports Games in Beijing (China) on October, 3-18 2008.
- Cooperation of Mind Sports

“Mind Sport Forum” was organized by the Multisport Association of Russia which unites the national federations of bridge, chess, draughts and go. The Forum is held under the support of the International Mind Sports Association (IMSA) which joins the international federations of bridge, chess, draughts and go in the GAISF.

In the bounds of the Forum the Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the Multisport Association of Russia and the International Mind Sport Association (IMSA).

The Forum was led by the IMSA President Jose Damiani (France), the President of the World Bridge Federation.

World Bridge Federation (WBF) – Jose Damiani, President
Federation Internationale des Echecs (FIDE) – Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, President; Berik Balgabaev, President counselor
Federation Mondiale du Jeu de Dames (FMJD) – Vladimir Ptitsyn, President; Yuri Chertok, the Presidium member
European Go Federation (EGF) – Oleg Gavrilov, Vice-President

Russian Sport Bridge Federation (RSBF) – Valery Zakoptelov, President; Mikhail Rosenblum, vice-president;
Russian Chess Federation (RCF) – Andrey Selivanov, President–in-Honor, Igor Glek
Russian Draughts Federation (RDF) – Alexander Zahryapin, President, Viktor Shkodin, vice-president.
Russian Go Federation – Vladimir Goltsman, President, Alexander Gulevitch, vice-president

Igor Glek, Berik Balgabaev, Irina Rodnina

“Sport Russia” – Irina Rodnina, the central Council head, three-time Olympic champion
“Rossport Department for Organizing and Holding Sport Events” – Rostislav Plaksin, first assistant of the director

“Lukoil” – Anton Mishnov, head of the Sponsor activity coordination department

“Brand Action Group” – Viktoria Voskanyan, director general; Maksim Belitsky sport project director.

RECORD:

The executive director of the Forum, secretary general of the Multisport Association of Russia, Alexey Kylasov presented the participants and the guests and then provided the opportunity for the greeting.

Yuri Rodionov, the president of the Multisport Association of Russia, the State Duma (Parliament) deputy said,

‘First of all, I would like to thank everybody that they have found the opportunity to take part in the Mind Sport Forum. I’m sure that the meeting of the international federations’ presidents will have continuation. The Multisport Association of Russia has the intention to prepare and organize the Russian national team for the participation in the first World Mind Games in 2008. The Multisport Association of Russia is also going to suggest you arranging complex mind sport competitions in Russia.

Jose Damiani, the International Mind Sport Association (IMSA) president, the World Bridge Federation president said,

‘I consider that the Forum will be very fruitful and will play an important role in the development of mind sport in Russia. I would like to emphasize that mind sport has to do not only with elder generation but for the youth. Unfortunately, it is a common opinion that chess, bridge, draughts and go are games for elderly people only. But it is absolutely wrong. Our sports are not only interesting but they develop children’s ability to concentrate and speculate. They allow elderly people to train their memory and keep the mind fit.
Russia is probably the world’s greatest power of mind sport which is proved by constant victories of your sportsmen. That’s why I am more than happy to sign the Memorandum of Understanding with the Multisport Association of Russia.
Mind sport is as important as physical and I am glad to see the understanding and enthusiasm on the part of the Russian colleagues. They have not only ideas but real projects at both national and international level which are being implemented. In February in Moscow Open Tournament will be held. The tournament will join all the four mind sports (draughts, chess, bridge and go) for the first time. This tournament will become the main rehearsal of the World Mind Sports Games 2008.
We try that the World Mind Games gain a special – Olympic status – on the part of the IOC. Two of our federations – chess and bridge – have already been recognized by the IOC. And now our common aim is to achieve the IOC recognition of draughts and go. I believe these two sports also have chances to join the Olympic family. I appeal to the Federations’ presidents to show the initiative in this question.

Jose Damiani, as the Head of the Forum ask to the representatives of the international federations to speak:

Kirsam Ilyumhinov, the president of the International Chess Federation (FIDE), the president of the Republic of Kalmykia,

‘It is not by chance that we met in Moscow. Russian sportsmen not once became the winners of the most important mind sport contests.
Chess – Olympiads’ and World Championships’ winners
Bridge - Olympiads’ and World Championships’ winners
Draughts – World Championships winners
Go – Europe champions and World Champions prize winners’

I would like to draw your attention to the Mind Sport Forum Organizer Alexey Kylasov. I assure you that his ideas of new image of the Olympic movement are considered by many officials of the IOC and other international sport organizations. According to our new strategy of mind sport positioning we can ourselves “Next Olympic Generation”.
Since the very foundation in 1924 the International Chess Federation has been trying to have chess included in the Olympic Games program. But for the last decades the stereotypes of the IOC officials have not been broken. They do not respect mind sport! Though according to the common opinion, sport is an activity when not only body but brains as well are loaded. And undoubtedly, not only chess but other sports united by the IMSA – draughts bridge and go - deserve being included in the Olympic program. How many similes of different sorts we have heard! Football players say, ‘We play with feet but win with head’; basketball players repeat, ’We play with hands but win with head’. Of course, curling has overdone all other sports in this sphere. The whole campaign of including this sport in the Olympic program was held with the slogan “Curling is chess on ice”. And at this chess still remain at the periphery of the IOC head’s attention. I do not even mention the fact that chess is developing almost in all countries of the world and curling – only in several dozens. Despite the fact that chess and bridge have gained official recognition of the IOC they have not gained the Olympic status. Don’t you fins the situation strange: “chess on ice” is an Olympic sport and classical chess is not?!

Jose Damiani, the IMSA president and the president of the World Bridge Federation said,

“I am ready, as the IMSA president, if there will be the question only about chess, to do my best that chess becomes the locomotive of the Olympic movement in mind sport. I suggest that we should not the decision which we have taken – to suggest the IOC to include not a single kind of sport but all the mind sports in the Olympic program.

My special optimism is explained by the fact that two of the four president of the international federations which the membership in the IMSA are Russians – Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, chess (FIDE) and Vladimir Ptitsyn, draughts (FMJD). Damiani congratulated them on Russia’s victory in the contest for the right to host the Winter Olympiad Sochi-2014 and he supposed that together with mind sport victories Russian could count that the IOC would give the mind games a special Olympic status. I sincerely count on the Russian habit to win.”

Alexey Kylasov, the secretary general of the Multisport association of Russia, said,

“It should be noticed that the IMSA and its members enjoy the support of the official IOC structure - the Association of the Recognized buy the IOC Sports Federations (ARISF). The ARISF president Jan Fransoo said during our conversation that joining mind sports was sensible because these were special sports in which athletic component was not the main one but these sports met the Olympic aims. Besides, there is one more organization recognized by the IOC which is ready to provide support to the IMSA. At the end of this year at the XXth congress in Buenos Aires (Argentina) of this year the Multisport Association of Russia gained the membership of the Association of Assistance of the International Movement “Sport for All” (TAFISA) which joins sport confederations of 200 countries of all the continents. TAFISA is an organization recognized by the IOC. By the TAFISA initiative in the IOC commission the constant working group “Sport for All” was established. And today I assure you about the support of this organization and that this organization tries to make mind sport Olympic. Korean traditional contest go has been included in the program of the World Games TAFISA Sport for All that will take place in Busan (Korea) in 2008.

We can suggest extending the program to the organizational committee of the Games. And I am sure that we will find understanding the TAFISA administration because this organization is a constant consultative body of the World Health organization (WHO). In one of the WHO reports it was mentioned that there is a necessity in constant loads for brain training, in particular as one of the way to avoid the Alzheimer disease. And I would like to remind you that the IMSA slogan is the following phrase “Mind Sports – Fitness for the Mind.”

Vladimir Ptitsyn, the president of the International Draughts Federation (FMJD) said,

“I would like to notice that from the very foundation of the Multisport Association of Russia in 2005 federations of our sports proved in the world integration process. In 2005 by Mr. Damaini’s initiative the IMSA was established in Berlin. And in Russia, almost simultaneously Alexey Kylasov arranged similar uniting of the national federations. I can only support the signing the Memorandum of understanding between our organizations. I think that the IMSA should initiate the similar process of uniting mind sport federations at the national and world level.

And more, I take the invitation to participate in this Forum as attention to the development of draughts. I’m pleased to state that for the first time for 60 years of the FMJD existence other sports show interest in draughts development. Thus, I consider that we refuse from competition with one another for the sake of the common aim – the Olympic future of our sports.”

“I think that go, draughts, chess and bridge lay emphasis on the personality of the sportsmen. I would like to underline that our sports help to find friends. I totally support those who said that our power is in the union. And it has special significance. In the course of history it happened so that mind sports which appeared in the East have started to develop in the World. And we have to contact the phenomenon of the Western culture – the Olympic movement. It is symbolic that the only western sport among ours is bridge. The “bridge” between the East and the West. Thus, the place of the forum is symbolic. Russian has always been on the edge between the East and the West.”

Valery Zakoptelov, the president of the Russian Sport Bridge Federation, the head of the MAR committee of mind sports, said,

“Here I consider appropriate to remind about Mr. Damiani’s phrase about Russian tradition to win. I’m ready to suggest that the next World Mind Games should be held in one of Russian cities. It can be successful and then the first Mind Olympiad is sure to happen. We will do our best for it. At first, I would like everybody to support the MAR initiative to hold the first competitions according to the IMSA formula. Taking into consideration the realia of cooperation with the official bodies I ask the president of the national and international organizations to include the Mind Games Moscow Open in their calendars.”

“Moscow Open Chess Tournament will be held for the fourth time. I think it is appropriate to declare that last year in the bound of the tournament we organized demo-competitions in Japanese chess “shogi”. It means that we are morally ready for the extension of the program.”

“Since Russian mind sport federations are the leaders at the international level, I suppose, we need to implement the cooperation in Russian regions by means of holding common tournaments.”

At the end of the Forum being the Head of it

“The majority of people do mind sport for pleasure during the spare time. We are sure that these sports should be professional. 600 million people play chess in the whole world; more than 100 million people play bridge and go. Mind sport is not less important for a human development that physical one. Now we need to make our champions more popular, make them recognizable for people. Even if we speak about chess only few people enjoy true popularity.

Another important thing in mind sport development is giving the sportsmen the opportunity to earn money for the living. Some professionals, especially in chess, earn pretty much money. You will be surprised but in Korea, China and Japan every week go tournaments are organized which have the prize fund of two or 3 thousand dollars. Bridge players also earn enough. In general, our sportsmen have the opportunity to earn money.

but I would like to warn you against cooperation with games of chance. Mind sport is quite opposite to gambling. For any person the wish to earn is normal. And it is a great advantage that it is possible by means of mind sport. But if you are involved in gambling you will never be admitted in our contests. Mind sport is, first of all, game of skill. Games of chance have nothing to do with it. In them people rely on chance.”