Approximately 350 bridge players representing 16 nations from across the Asia-Oceania region will vie for honours at the 5th Asia Cup Bridge Championship, scheduled to take place in Goa from June 21 to 27.

Bridge Federation of India (BFI) President Prasad Keni said Goa will host the prestigious quadrennial tournament for the second time, having successfully organised the event in 2018. BFI Secretary Debasish Ray confirmed that teams from Australia, China, Indonesia, Bangladesh, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Hong Kong China, Japan, Chinese Taipei, the Philippines, Malaysia, South Korea, Singapore, Thailand and host nation India will participate in the championship.

Ray revealed that Pakistan had shown interest in joining the competition but ultimately failed to submit an official entry before the deadline. The championship programme includes Team and Pairs events across men’s, women’s, seniors and mixed categories. India has entered both ‘A’ and ‘B’ teams in every division, underlining its strong commitment to the tournament.

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Expressing optimism about India’s prospects, Ray, who also serves as captain of the national men’s team, said the squads feature several distinguished players with extensive international experience and medal-winning credentials. India has enjoyed considerable success in the competition, collecting 20 medals across the previous four editions, including eight gold, five silver and seven bronze medals.

The Indian lineup boasts several accomplished players and Asian Games medallists, including Sumit Mukherjee, Rajeshwar Tiwari, Sayantan Kushari, Anil Padhye, Sukomal Das and Sagnik Roy.

In the women’s section, India will rely on the experience of Monica Jajoo, Pooja Batra and Himani Khandelwal, while renowned international player Kiran Nadar is expected to lead the country’s campaign in the Mixed Pairs category.

With some of the strongest bridge-playing nations in the region set to compete, the championship promises a week of intense competition and high-quality play as participants battle for continental supremacy.