The name of the organization shall be the World Bridge Federation, herein also called the WBF. It shall be a non-profit organization incorporated as Association in the meaning of article 60 and following of the Swiss Civil Code; its resources are constituted by members' annual dues or changes, gifts and donations and any other resource, such as income from competitions, tournaments and other events organized by the WBF; its resources shall be applied exclusively in furtherance of its beneficent purposes; and no part of its resources or earnings shall inure to the benefit of any private person.

ARTICLE 2 - PURPOSE:

The purpose of the organization shall be to promote, foster, promulgate and develop the sport of Contract Bridge throughout the world; to be in the Olympic Movement, remaining affiliated with International Olympic Committee (IOC) as a recognized International Federation (IF) in conformity with the requirements of the Olympic Charter and to contribute to the achievement of the goals set out in the Olympic Charter, in particular by way of spread of Olympism and Olympic education; to federate national contract bridge association in all countries; to devise methods and conduct competitions to award international or world championship titles; to establish standard laws for its contests adopting the International Code and supplementing it as may be required, but not inconsistent with it; to support and encourage the promotion of sports ethics; to dedicate its efforts to ensuring that in bridge, contests the spirit of fair play prevails; to fight against doping in sport and to take measures, the goal of which is to prevent endangering the health of bridge players.

ARTICLE 3 - GOVERNMENT.

Government of the WBF shall be vested in a Congress, an Executive Council, herein also called the Executive, and Officers with defined powers, electing and holding office in accordance with the Constitution and By-Laws of the WBF.

ARTICLE 4 - LANGUAGE.

The official language of this Constitution is English, but texts in other languages may be accepted as co-official by the Executive.

ARTICLE 5 - MEMBERSHIP.

The National Contract Bridge Organization, herein also called NBO, of any country is eligible, subject to the By-Laws, to apply for membership of the WBF, and may be elected by the Executive.

ARTICLE 6 - ZONES.

For purposes of administration and zonal competition, the world shall be divided by the Executive into appropriate geographical Zones. The NBOs in each zone shall unite in a Zonal Conference, herein called ZC. The Executive shall consist of not less than eight nor more than sixteen members, plus the President of the WBF. The number of members of the Executive for each Zone shall be set forth by the By-Laws and the ZC shall designate and accredit the members of the Executive representing the Zone.

ARTICLE 7 - OFFICERS.

The officers of the WBF shall be elected by the Executive. The officers shall include a President, one or more Vice-Presidents, a Secretary, a Treasurer and a General Counsel. The Executive may also elect such other officers as it may deem appropriate for the administration of the affairs of the WBF. The respective officers shall exercise such powers and perform such duties as may be provided by the By-Laws or as the Executive may prescribe.

ARTICLE 8 - CONGRESS.

The Congress shall have the powers in the WBF not delegated to the Executive under the Constitution and By-Laws.

a)	Delegates. Each NBO in good standing may designate and accredit one Delegate to the Congress.
b)	Meetings. Regular meetings of the Congress shall be held as set forth in the By-Laws.
c)	Quorum. At a meeting of the Congress a quorum shall consist of duly accredited Delegates from at least one-third of the NBOs in good standing in the WBF.
d)	Proxies. Any NBO may be represented at a meeting by a duly accredited proxy, but no person may represent more than one NBO in any meeting of the Congress.
e)	Voting. Any action of the Executive subject to review by the Congress shall require a two-thirds majority vote of those present for rejection of the action of the Executive. Any other matter within the jurisdiction of the Congress shall require only a majority vote of those present and voting, except as may be otherwise required by the Constitution or By-Laws.
f)	Control. The Congress shall have the power to control the other organs of the WBF, such as the Executive, the Officers and any other Committee as defined in the Constitution and By-Laws.
g)	Revocation. The Congress shall have the power to revoke any organ of the WBF at any time for material grounds. Such revocation requires a two-thirds majority of the present Delegates.
h)	Dissolution. The Congress shall have the exclusive power to resolve upon the dissolution of the WBF. This decision requires a two-thirds majority of 75% of all Delegates to the Congress.

 

ARTICLE 9 - EXECUTIVE COUNCIL.

The Executive shall exercise supreme executive and administrative powers over the affairs of the WBF consistent with the WBF Constitution and the By-Laws. The management of the affairs, property and business of the WBF shall vest in the Executive. In addition to the powers and authorities expressly conferred upon it by the Constitution and the By-Laws, the Executive may exercise all such powers of the WBF and do all such lawful acts as are not required by the Constitution or by the By-Laws to be exercised or done by the Congress.

a)	Members. The Executive shall consist of as many zonal representatives as are authorized by the By-Laws, plus the President of the WBF, who shall for his first term be elected from the members of the Executive and, once elected, shall resign as a zonal representative. Each member of the Executive, including the President, shall be entitled to one vote on all matters within the Executive's jurisdiction.
b)	Meetings. The Executive shall hold meetings as set forth in the By-Laws.
c)	Quorum. One-half of all the total members of the Executive, representing at least three Zones, shall constitute a quorum.
d)	Proxies. Any ZC may appoint a proxy to represent it in any meeting of the Executive. No person may serve as a proxy for more than one ZC and no one member of the Executive or proxy may serve as proxy for any other ZC but he may serve as a proxy for one or more members of the Executive from his own ZC.
e)	Power and Duties. The Executive shall exercise all executive and administrative powers incident to the effective supervision and administration of the affairs and activities of the WBF. In implementation of these powers, but not in limitation thereof, the Executive shall have the following specific powers:
	i)	To elect officers and define their powers, duties and tenure.
	ii)	To fix dues and fees.
	iii)	To apply the funds of the WBF for its lawful purposes.
	iv)	To designate the officer or officers to have custody of funds and to account therefor.
	v)	To fix the dates, sites, eligibility requirements and conditions for contests held under the sanction and supervision of the WBF and to establish appropriate rules and regulations governing such contests.
	vi)	To exercise appellate jurisdiction from acts or decisions of all Committees. The decisions of the Executive, taken on the basis of the provisions of the Constitution and By-Laws, are final. Any dispute relating to their application or interpretation may be resolved solely by the Executive and, in certain cases, by arbitration before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
	vii)	To accept or reject applications for membership from any NBO, to suspend membership and to terminate membership of any NBO in accordance with the provisions of the By-Laws.
	viii)	To fix zonal boundaries and to recognize ZCs.
	ix)	To elect honorary officers and members.
	x)	To notify all ZCs, NBOs and members of the Executive of actions taken by the Executive at each meeting by means of summary minutes, financial statements, or other pertinent documents or reports.
	xi)	To adopt a set of By-Laws and to make amendments there to in accordance with the provisions of Article 11 of this Constitution.
	xii)	To recommend amendments to the Constitution in accordance with the provisions of Article 12.
	xiii)	To otherwise implement, administer and control the policy and affairs of the WBF in any manner consistent with its Constitution and By-Laws.
	xiv)	Any action by the Executive under Section 2 or 7 of Article 9(e) shall be subject to review by the Congress under Article 8 of this Constitution.
	xv)	Any decision by the Executive under Sections 6 & 7 of Article 9 e) shall be subject of appeal before the Court of Arbitration for Sport in accordance with the provisions of the By-Laws.

 

ARTICLE 10 - COMMITTEES.

Standing or special committees of the WBF, including a Management Committee, may be constituted from time to time and, subject to applicable law and the By-Laws, such committees may be vested with such powers as the Executive may see fit. The members of all committees shall be appointed by the President and confirmed by the Executive.

ARTICLE 11 - BY-LAWS.

The Executive shall adopt a set of By-Laws providing for the regulation and management of the affairs of the WBF. Thereafter, the By-Laws or any part of them may be amended by the Executive by the affirmative vote of 75% of all its members entitled to vote, provided the effective date of the Amendment fixed by the Executive shall not be earlier than three months after the mailing of written notice and the full text of the Amendment to each NBO, and provided further that, if a majority of all the NBOs make written objection to the Amendment to the President of the WBF before the effective date fixed by the Executive, the Amendment shall be null and void.

ARTICLE 12 - AMENDMENTS.

This Constitution or any part of it may be amended at any duly constituted meeting of the Congress at which a quorum is present by the affirmative vote of two-thirds of the Delegates present.

ARTICLE 13 - ARBITRATION.

In addition to other provisions of the Constitution and the By-Laws, any dispute arising on the occasion of, or in connection with, the WBF Tournaments, as provided in Article 9 of the By-Laws, shall be submitted to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), in accordance with its Statutes and Regulations to the exclusion of any recourse to any national/state court. The parties to such dispute shall undertake to implement in good faith the arbitral award rendered by the CAS.

ARTICLE 14 - REGISTERED OFFICE AND APPLICABLE LAW

The WBF has its registered office in the City of Lausanne, Switzerland. The Constitution and By-Laws of the WBF shall be governed by Swiss Law.

Certified as the Official Constitution of the World Bridge Federation, as amended , 2003.

José Damiani, President

Jeffrey D. Polisner, General Counsel