The subscription fee for OEMC 2009 recently was increased. Probably the same will happen to the WCM 2010. Mahjong is more and more becoming an exclusive hobby.

UTRECHT - It looks as though participating in large international mahjong competitions is going to be an exclusive hobby.
The subscription fee to participate in the OEMC 2090 has been raised with 10 euros to 180 euros. Mr. Otto Myslivec, secretary of the Austrian Baden Mahjong club and of the organizing committee for the OEMC 2009, blames the credit crisis. The World Mahjong Championship, to be held in the Netherlands in 2010, has the same problems. According to Mr. Robert Rijnders, president of the Dutch Mahjong Association, earlier predictions of a subscription fee of 200 euro are probably too optimistic.

Otto Myslivec looks rather said as he switches off his computer. He just has sent the fifth newsletter about the European mahjong championship, with the message that the subscription fee will be raised by 10 euros. "The credit crisis is playing tricks on us", he says. "Until now, we only have been able to find some smaller local sponsors. And we still hope Mahjong Time will sponsor us."

After accepting the challenge of organizing the OEMC 2009, the Austrians were quite optimistic. Last year, during the World Mahjong Championship in the Chinese town of Chengdu, they spontaneously invited the new world champion, Li-Li, to come and play in the OEMC 2009. His airline ticket and hotel cost would be paid for. One year later, however, Mahjong Austria has not made much progress in the field of sponsoring, so the organziging committee decided to raise the entry fee.