Further to my recent post which mentioned the dates of the upcoming 2009 IBSF World Championships in Hyderabad, India, there has now been a change of dates which will see the tournament shortened by four days…
Originally the tournament was to take place between the 15th-29th November 2009 but as has now been confirmed on the IBSF website, the event will start on the 15th and now finish on Wednesday 25th November.
How this will affect the scheduling for the tournament is unknown at the time of writing, though I do understand that the draw for the event will take place tomorrow morning at 9am GMT so things should become clearer then.
As far as the reason for the change of dates is concerned, there is nothing currently on the IBSF website but there was previously a letter from the IBSF President explaining the background. The important extract is as follows:
“I have unfortunately been informed by the Indian Federation (BSFI) that following the withdrawal of a major sponsor, for financial reasons the IBSF World Championships will now be staged over a shorter period than was originally intended.
The IBSF cannot continue to hire the venue for as long as it was expecting under the conditions of the original agreement, as the ballroom that is being used for the playing venue has a very high cost (USD10000 per day)
Therefore the IBSF Championships will start on November 15th and the Finals will be held on November 25th.
If it is the wish of your delegation to decide to stay in the hotel until the date of your original return flight ticket, the BSFI informs me that it has been agreed that the rate for the hotel will still be based on $90 per day and with full board.
All International referees can stay free of charge till their departure date.
I am well aware that this change of date may cause you a high amount of concern, and on behalf of the IBSF I am sincerely sorry for the late change of these dates, but I can assure you that all the IBSF Board Members have spent an extreme amount of time to try and find an alternative solution to avoid this situation.
However, it must now be accepted that with only a few days before the start of the Championships, it is no longer possible to find another venue in Hyderabad that is nearby to your booked hotel, to host the IBSF 2009 World Championships and to install the 20 competition tables.”