VENICE  - The deadline for subscribing to the OEMC2011 expired six weeks ago. Yet, not one player from the most important mahjong country in the world is on the list of registered players in the fourth open European championship. Neither world champion Linghua Jiao, nor any other player from China has reacted on the invitation of the organizers of the event, which will start in Mestre near Venice in Italy, two months from now.

Marco Milandri of the organizing committee and member of the board of the Italian mahjong federation FIMJ, says that he has extended the deadline for the Chinese until May, 15th. But probably he does not believe himself anymore that players from China will be in the tournament hall of the Laguna Palace Hotel at the moment the OEMC2011 will start. The Chinese quota for the OEMC is twelve players.

Marco: “If no Chinese will subscribe, then we shall reassign their seats.” 

Budget

That is necessary, says Marco, ‘because we have to play the championship with 160 players’. The budget of the OEMC2011 is based on the participation of that number. In other words: FIMJ will suffer a deficit if less players subscribe. The Italian just cannot miss the registration fee (€230 each) of twelve players.

However, the presence of the Chinese is not needed to balance the books in the first place, but especially to inspire the other contestants and to improve their gameplay. Every European mahjong player wants to play against Chinese competitors.  

The Chinese not only invented the game of mahjong, but they are still the best players in the world. After the first world champion, Mai Hatsune from Japan (2002), Chinese ruled the subsequent world championships. Li-Li became world champion in 2007 (Chengdu, China). He was followed by Linghua Jiao in 2010 (Utrecht, the Netherlands).

Communication

But the presence of a Chinese delegation in Venice by now is quite unlikely. Marco Milandri: “In the past, the Chinese answered to our inviting email, saying that they would send a delegation of players. Also Linghua Jiao would come.”

But, he continues: “After that, we sent a lot of mails to remind them of the deadline of March, 15th. But until now, we never got an answer.

“Maybe”, he adds, “they have difficulties with the communication.”

Firewal

That is possible. Information about mahjong - even though the ‘decadent’ game has been legalized in China for more than ten years, it still is considered controversial - does not always pass the Great Chinese Firewall. (Mahjong News, by the way, is not blocked in China.) On the other hand, all organizers of mahjong events which took place in Europe, know that registration of Chinese players never goes easy. Not until the very last moment the size of their delegations and the names of the players, are unsure. Also, until today it is not known why world champion Li-Li never showed up at Baden in Austria for the European Championship 2008. In spite of his free airline ticket and hotel reservation.