Ispahani 37th Nat’l Team Bridge to kick off Friday

Star Sports Report

The Ispahani 37th National Team Bridge Championship is set to begin on Friday at the Engineers’ Recreation Center of Engineers’ Institute in Dhaka, with nearly 18 teams from across the country taking part.

Bangladesh Bridge Federation (BBF) president Syed Mahbubur Rahman announced this at a press conference at the BOA Auditorium on Wednesday. BBF general secretary Naeemul Hasan and Ispahani Tea Ltd general manager Omar Hannan were also present, according to a press release.

Highlighting plans to promote bridge in national and private universities, the BBF president expressed hope that the number of tournaments would increase and that seminars would be organised to encourage youth participation.

Sponsor Omar reaffirmed Ispahani’s commitment to supporting the championship and other bridge tournaments, noting the company’s long-standing contribution to sports development.

“Internationally, bridge is recognised as one of the most popular mind games. Though it has a long-standing global history, the game’s journey in Bangladesh began in the late 1970s. Despite its potential, it has struggled to gain widespread popularity due to social taboos and limited promotion,” the press release stated.

Despite these challenges, Bangladesh has achieved notable success internationally, participating in the World Bridge Championships in 2017, 2019 and 2025.