Origins
World Riichi Championship was the dream of Martin Rep. After contributing significantly to the riichi scene in Europe, he set his sights on a global community. His vision cannot be underestimated. He managed to achieve what had initially seemed impossible by building a bridge and strong foundations for an international cooperation.
A mission impossible which succeeded
Please come to Japan to talk about the World Riichi Championship, Shigekazu Moriyama wrote to me. From that moment, I knew that my Mission Impossible would succeed.
I had talked to many people and written countless emails about my dream. Riichi mahjong, the most beautiful, the most thrilling mahjong variant, deserves its own world championship, that was my conviction.
The Dutch Mahjong League and the European Mahjong Association (EMA) supported me. But we all knew that there could never be a world riichi championship without the Japanese, the inventors and still the masters of the game.
Then, all of a sudden, that email from Moriyama-san, president of JPML. He was interested. I travelled to Tokyo. The night before I would meet him, I prepared a long introduction. About friendship, about the beautiful game, about the cultural gateway between East and West. I had brought a little present and fresh treacle waffles from Holland for him.
No long introduction was needed. “What can we do”, was one of his first questions. That afternoon, we – Gemma Sakamoto, Jenn Barr, Garthe Nelson, all JPML-people, and I – had a very fruitful discussion. Many decisions were made.
The Japanese would love to go to Paris for a world championship, Moriyama-san told us. Shortly after this, our French friends Valérian and Quentin Thomas let us know that they were only too happy to welcome the Japanese in Paris.
They had to do the real hard work. But I am very happy, and proud, that I could help to pave the way for this fantastic event. With Moriyama-san, and so many others.
Riichi mahjong deserved, and celebrated indeed, its own world championship. Paris 2014 was a great success. Let’s hope that many festive competitions will follow.
Martin Rep
First WRC Hosts
When we have started thinking about a World Riichi Championship five years ago, we could not imagine that this event will take place - this time - in a such fabulous place like Las Vegas and take it from us, we strongly know how difficult it can be to organize a major event like this.
Let's go back in December 2012, during the French Riichi Championship, in a small parisian café at the end of the day. We both had a long discussion with Martin Rep, about riichi in the world, and how nice it would be to make something bigger. During our friendly conversation, he told us that it would be something great for riichi to organize a World Championship. At that time, we just missed the opportunity to organize the European Championship, and, as an non-existent French club 3 years earlier, we asked ourselves if we can handle this challenge. Hopefully we were not alone. We have been able to rely on French, European, American and Japanese federations which have provided a lot of support, experience and good advice.
At the end, in July 2014, we have probably spent one of our best - and probably the most exhausting - week in our lives! Ok, to be honest, there were some smalls issues, and everything was not totally perfect. But 120 players from 22 countries during 5 days, fighting for the very first title of World Champion, it was just awesome!
So when the decision was made to have this session in Las Vegas, we were both really excited! That time, we wanted to participate and – perhaps, with a lot of luck – bring back a title in France! Unfortunately, it is with a great deal of regret that we cannot take part of this year new edition of the WRC. Professional life is something that riichi can’t always beat ;), but be sure that we’ll not miss the next one.
However, we will follow this amazing event with a lot of interest. If we have succeeded into creating the first event, we know for sure that Gemma Sakamoto and David Bresnik will bring this to an higher level.
We are so excited to see this small link between Riichi countries created three year ago growing and becoming stronger thanks to these amazing people. They already won this huge challenge for sure.
If you are one of the selected participants, you will have the opportunity to play in a symbolic place like Las Vegas, in an outstanding venue, with over 200 players coming from all around the world.
And we bet that you’ll probably agree with us: WRC Vegas’17 will be an outstanding event.
Quentin and Valerian Thomas
