Bridge gets a reshuffle as it is deemed a sport
Governing body ready to lobby Sport England for support after ruling that physical skill not needed
It is a card game played from the comfort of a chair, loved by those past their first flush of youth. Yet bridge is a sport, according to the European Court of Justice’s top adviser, and should be granted the same official status as football, rugby and tennis as it “trains a certain physical or mental skill”.
IT IS a card game played from the comfort of a chair, most popular with those past their first flush of youth.
Yet bridge is a sport, according to the European Court of Justice’s top adviser, and should be granted the same official status as football, rugby and tennis.
Advocate general Maciej Szpunar ruled that sport was an activity requiring “a certain effort to overcome a challenge or an obstacle” and which “trains a certain physical or mental skill”.
He declared: “To be a sport, it is not necessary that the activity has a certain physical element. It is sufficient that the activity has a significant mental element which is material to its outcome.”
His ruling represents a victory for the English Bridge Union (EBU) in its long-running bid to see the game gain official recognition as a sport. It also has implications for chess, with the English Chess Federation following the legal case with interest.
The EBU has been battling HMRC in the courts since 2014, arguing that it should receive the tax relief available to sporting bodies. Bridge players are currently charged VAT on entry fees to tournaments.
HMRC bases its criteria on a list supplied by Sport England, the body responsible for funding. Sport England excludes “mind sports” and says sport must entail a level of physical exertion.
Judges in the High Court and the Court of Appeal backed HMRC. The European Court’s decision will be published in the coming months and will heap pressure on Sport England to review its list. Other European countries – Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France and the Netherlands – recognise bridge as a sport.
Peter Stockdale, spokesman for the EBU, welcomed the prospect of a tax rebate but said the ruling would have broader implications.
“It would also help us to promote bridge in schools. It would mean you can be good at sport without having to kick a ball or swing a racquet,” he said.
“For some children it will be far more beneficial to their personal development than getting picked last for the football team. We need an influx of younger people.”
Bridge and chess players have to fund training, facilities and travel to international tournaments with no government support. Malcolm Pein, international director of the English Chess Federation and The Daily Telegraph chess correspondent, said: “This is very good news. It has implications for VAT exemption, but also gives all mind sports a chance to further lobby Sport England.
“Chess receives no government support. If you want to hire the best trainers, that costs money. The game is in the doldrums – we used to be second best in the world at chess, and the last time I looked we were 12th.”