FUNDING FOR OVERSEAS
TOURNAMENTS – DAVID LAW
The Management Committee is concerned some members, through general conversation, may be misinformed that only an elite group of players are able to participate in overseas tournaments and that the members’ subscriptions and accumulated funds go primarily towards funding that participation. The Management Committee would therefore like to clarify the following:
1.
MCBA pays the entry fees only for events where players
are representing
2. For the Olympiad and PABF Championships, MCBA pays an incentive of RM200 per match won to the team
3. For the PABF and Asean Championships, MCBA pays an award to any Malaysian team finishing in the top three positions
4. For the Olympiad and PABF Championships, MCBA grants a subsidy to each player to help offset the expense; and this is capped at 30% of the estimated cost of travel and accommodation. At times, players may obtain private sponsorship which are not part of the Association’s subsidy
5. All the above financial incentives are clearly stated in the entry rules which are available to any MCBA member to peruse
6. All MCBA members are eligible to submit an entry to participate in any of the events partially funded. Participation may be subject further to the WBF or PABF regulations currently in force
7. For the Asean Championships which is limited to 10 teams per country in each series, MCBA pays the entry fees for all the eligible teams irrespective of playing level. It is the only Asean NCBO to do so
8. The funding does not come from the members subscriptions or accumulated funds. They come from the Asean Championship Fund which is a fund specifically set up for MCBA to host the Asean Championships, which it does by rotation, or the PABF Championships, which it has to bid for, with the surplus being available to fund participation in the overseas tournaments including the aforesaid two
9. The Championship Fund, being separate from the members’ accumulated funds, has since its inception in 1982 been identified as a separate item in the audited accounts tabled annually at the General Meeting, with receipts thereto or payments therefrom also being shown separately. The accounts are audited by KPMG, one of the “Big Four” international accounting firms
10.
As MCBA does not have any youth teams, and the ladies
team have not participated in the PABF or Asean
Championships since 2000 (except when
11. MCBA’s objectives, as stated in its Constitution are i) encourage and develop interest in bridge, ii) encourage bridge clubs and branches of the Association, iii) provide a rules and ethics authority for Malaysia, iv) represent Malaysia in international competition and v) affiliation with Pacific Asia Bridge Federation and World Bridge Federation. Being a national bridge organisation the objectives are required to be more comprehensive in serving the national interest that those of an ordinary bridge club. Therefore they may not be identical or similar to the objectives of all the members and there is of course no compulsion for any player whose own objectives are at variance to join the Association
12.
The Management Committee hopes that the above has
clarified any queries the membership may have regarding funding overseas
tournament. It hopes to see many more
members take advantage of the generosity of the Association by participating
more fully in international events to bring glory to