World Mahjong Organization
Encyclopedia
The World Mahjong Organization (Chinese
: "世界麻将组织") is the international govering body of mahjong
. Its headquarters is located in Beijing
, China. As of March 2011, its president is Guangyuan Yu.
and spread around the world, although with varied rule sets. In China, mahjong was identified as an illegal gambling
game and it was forbidden to develop businesses based on it, so nobody could establish a professional mahjong organization. This interfered with the development of mahjong as a sport, and it was considered simply as home entertainment until 1998.
Japan
accepted mahjong before World War II
. After the war, many professional organizations were established there and a large market developed. However, mahjong had a bad image in Japan too, because it had been developed as a gambling game. For this reason, mahjong came close to being made illegal. Some mahjong players started a movement to change its image in the 1980s, and they changed the rules and established the Japan Kenko Mahjong Association in 1988. Kenko means "health" in Japanese. Their motto was "No Gambling, No Drinking, No Smoking". They organized a "Healthy Mahjong" competition in Tokyo
in 1995. With that as a start, they also promoted competitions, on a scale of a hundred competitors, around China, including Beijing
. They also put pressure on the Chinese sports authorities to recognise mahjong as a sport.
In January 1998, mahjong became the 255th sport to be officially recognised by the General Administration of Sport of China. In September 1998, the unified rules for international competitions were established.
On 23–26 October 2002, the first World Mahjong Championship was held at the Hotel Grand Palace in Iidabashi, Tokyo
. It was organized by the Mahjong Museum, the Japan Mahjong Organizing Committee(JMOC) and the Ningbo Mahjong Sport Association. Originally, it was going to be held in Ningbo
, China, but it was moved because Ningbo was going to have another large event at the same time. A hundred players participated in this championship, in twenty-five teams from eight nations: China
, Japan
, USA, Taiwan
, Russia
, Sweden
, Netherlands
and Bulgaria
. Mai Hatsune
, the female mahjong player from Japan, won the individual championship, and Japan Mahjong Players Apprentice Selected Team B won the team championship. John O'Connor, a Japan-based American tarento
, was the runner-up.
At the congress on 2 November 2007 in the Foguang Hall of the Hongzhushan Hotel, Sichuan
, China, it was decided that the world championship is to be held every two years and that Chinese
, English
and Japanese
are the official languages of the WMO.
, Sichuan on 1–5 November 2007. 148 players from 16 nations participated. Li Li from China won the individual championship, and China Shanxi Jiexiu won the team championship.
The second world championship was held in Utrecht
, Netherlands on 27–29 August 2010. The current world champion is Linghua Jiao from China and the national team championship was also won by China. For the first time, Eupropean players and countries took second and third places in both the individual and the team championships.
Chinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
: "世界麻将组织") is the international govering body of mahjong
Mahjong
Mahjong, sometimes spelled Mah Jongg, is a game that originated in China, commonly played by four players...
. Its headquarters is located in Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
, China. As of March 2011, its president is Guangyuan Yu.
Before establishment
Mahjong originated in ChinaChina
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
and spread around the world, although with varied rule sets. In China, mahjong was identified as an illegal gambling
Gambling
Gambling is the wagering of money or something of material value on an event with an uncertain outcome with the primary intent of winning additional money and/or material goods...
game and it was forbidden to develop businesses based on it, so nobody could establish a professional mahjong organization. This interfered with the development of mahjong as a sport, and it was considered simply as home entertainment until 1998.
Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
accepted mahjong before World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. After the war, many professional organizations were established there and a large market developed. However, mahjong had a bad image in Japan too, because it had been developed as a gambling game. For this reason, mahjong came close to being made illegal. Some mahjong players started a movement to change its image in the 1980s, and they changed the rules and established the Japan Kenko Mahjong Association in 1988. Kenko means "health" in Japanese. Their motto was "No Gambling, No Drinking, No Smoking". They organized a "Healthy Mahjong" competition in Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
in 1995. With that as a start, they also promoted competitions, on a scale of a hundred competitors, around China, including Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
. They also put pressure on the Chinese sports authorities to recognise mahjong as a sport.
In January 1998, mahjong became the 255th sport to be officially recognised by the General Administration of Sport of China. In September 1998, the unified rules for international competitions were established.
On 23–26 October 2002, the first World Mahjong Championship was held at the Hotel Grand Palace in Iidabashi, Tokyo
Iidabashi, Tokyo
is a district of Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. It was in the former ward of Kōjimachi, which existed in Tokyo until 1947. Its postal code is 102-0072.-Etymology:...
. It was organized by the Mahjong Museum, the Japan Mahjong Organizing Committee(JMOC) and the Ningbo Mahjong Sport Association. Originally, it was going to be held in Ningbo
Ningbo
Ningbo is a seaport city of northeastern Zhejiang province, Eastern China. Holding sub-provincial administrative status, the municipality has a population of 7,605,700 inhabitants at the 2010 census whom 3,089,180 in the built up area made of 6 urban districts. It lies south of the Hangzhou Bay,...
, China, but it was moved because Ningbo was going to have another large event at the same time. A hundred players participated in this championship, in twenty-five teams from eight nations: China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, USA, Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
and Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
. Mai Hatsune
Mai Hatsune
Mai Hatsune as known as "Dragon Lady" is a Japanese Mahjong player. She is the first world champion of Mahjong. Her real name is Fumiko Itabashi. Her activity is not only competing, but she also is writing and instructing.-Debut:...
, the female mahjong player from Japan, won the individual championship, and Japan Mahjong Players Apprentice Selected Team B won the team championship. John O'Connor, a Japan-based American tarento
Tarento
is a Japanese rendering of the English word "talent" and is used as a catch-all term for mass media personalities who regularly appear on television. Detractors of the phenomenon have referred to it in an English sense as "famous just for being famous" because many that fall into this career line...
, was the runner-up.
Establishment
The WMO was established in 2006 in Beijing. Guangyuan Yu was chosen as the first president and Xuanqi Jiang was chosen as the Secretary General.At the congress on 2 November 2007 in the Foguang Hall of the Hongzhushan Hotel, Sichuan
Sichuan
' , known formerly in the West by its postal map spellings of Szechwan or Szechuan is a province in Southwest China with its capital in Chengdu...
, China, it was decided that the world championship is to be held every two years and that Chinese
Chinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
, English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
and Japanese
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
are the official languages of the WMO.
World championship
The first world championship was held in ChengduChengdu
Chengdu , formerly transliterated Chengtu, is the capital of Sichuan province in Southwest China. It holds sub-provincial administrative status...
, Sichuan on 1–5 November 2007. 148 players from 16 nations participated. Li Li from China won the individual championship, and China Shanxi Jiexiu won the team championship.
The second world championship was held in Utrecht
Utrecht
Utrecht is a city in the Netherlands.The name may also refer to:* Utrecht , of which Utrecht is the capital* Utrecht , including the city of Utrecht* Bishopric of Utrecht* Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Utrecht...
, Netherlands on 27–29 August 2010. The current world champion is Linghua Jiao from China and the national team championship was also won by China. For the first time, Eupropean players and countries took second and third places in both the individual and the team championships.
See also
- MahjongMahjongMahjong, sometimes spelled Mah Jongg, is a game that originated in China, commonly played by four players...
- European Mahjong AssociationEuropean Mahjong AssociationThe European Mahjong Association is an international organization for the interests of Mahjong in Europe. The main purposes are to certify competitions held by national organizations and to hold European championships.-History:...
(EMA) - World Series Of MahjongWorld Series Of MahjongThe World Series Of Mahjong is played to determine the World Champion in the board game Mahjong. Both men and women are eligible to contest this title, and the championship holds Individual event and it set up the total prize of 1 million US dollars. The competition takes tournament system for 3...
(another world championship, promoted by World Mahjong Ltd)