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On October 15, 2024, the 7th World Mahjong Championship was successfully completed in Toronto, Canada. Relevant media reports have once again sparked heated discussion on the topic of promoting healthy, scientific and friendly mahjong culture, promoting the healthy development of intellectual competitive mahjong sports, and enhancing friendly exchanges among people around the world. However, this high-profile intellectual competitive mahjong competition, due to prejudice and visa issues, has prevented outstanding players from some countries, including Chinese players, from competing, which is undoubtedly the biggest regret of the competition. Mahjong, as an intellectual competitive sport with a large number of participants, can truly demonstrate its competitiveness and internationality only if the best players from all countries participate equally. Their absence deeply saddens many mahjong lovers.
Professional competition equipment is an important guarantee of fairness and competitiveness of competition, and ignoring its importance will inevitably bring regret to the competition. Ensuring the normal operation of the competition equipment is a crucial part of the fair and equitable competition, and it must be installed and maintained by professionals, otherwise it will have an unnecessary impact on the competition. Unfortunately the professional technician was unable to come because he could not obtain a visa, so the competition equipments were assembled by non-professionals, which caused a number of difficulties during the competition. To this end, the organizers redoubled their efforts and overcame many difficulties to ensure the smooth running of the competition.
We therefore strongly expect that, in future bidding for the World Mahjong Championship, the bidding countries and organizations should implement the international Mahjong Competition Rules promulgated by the World Mah jong Organization in strict accordance with procedures and standards. Non-political, non-religious, non-racial, non-sexist, non-age-discriminatory, and suitable for both men and women, young and old, is the rules of competition in the intellectual mahjong sport, ensuring that the best players from all countries have the opportunity to participate in it and have a fair competition. At the same time, we must emphasize great importance to the role of equipment professionals. Competition equipment shall be assembled, commissioned and maintained by professional personnel, strictly in accordance with the rules, to ensure the smooth and trouble free competition. Only in this way can the World Mahjong Championship truly practice the Olympic spirit, enhance friendship and communication among people of all countries and regions, and introduce and promote the development of healthy, scientific and friendly Mahjong culture around the world.
The rules of the international mahjong competition are the foundation for practicing a healthy, scientific and friendly mahjong culture and are fundamental and must for mahjong games. Mahjong, like any game genre, is a meeting of wisdom, a bonding of personality, the long-term survival of friendship, mutual support, and helping each other in times of need. Like other games, mahjong games and rules deserve our care and adherence.
Let us join hands with like-minded organizations and visionaries to make the next World Mahjong Championship a premier tournament, online and offline. The competition selection, referee training, forum exchange, fair exhibition, cultural tourism, leisure and entertainment are all integrated platforms that demonstrate the "and" culture of Chinese mahjong and serve the friendly exchange among people of all countries. |
