Referees invitation "2nd Showdown international tournament Bologna Open For All" 2024
Dear Referees,
he National Directorate of the AICS Sports Department, with the technical and organizational support of its National Technical Committee "Showdown Italia", is pleased to invite you to the second edition of the international tournament "Bologna Open for All", open to all visually impaired and sighted players.
According to the international Showdown regulations, players must compete wearing regulation blindfolds.
"Showdown Italia" is the National Technical Committee for inclusive Showdown of the AICS Italian Association for Sports Culture, a national organization with over one million members and twelve thousand affiliated societies.
"Showdown Italia" organizes a sports season in Italy open to sighted and visually impaired players, consisting of:
1 international open tournament, 2 national open tournaments, 1 individual national championship, 1 national doubles championship, and 1 All-Star Game.
For further details, please visit the official website: www.showdownitalia.it
The tournament will take place in Italy in the city of Bologna, from Wednesday 28th August to Sunday 1st September 2024, at the prestigious 4-star Hotel "The Sydney", where participants will be accommodated and where breakfast, lunch, and dinner will be served.
Participation modalities and stay details
Referees have a free "all inclusive" package covering:
- travel expenses refund, 250,00€ maximum (the airplane and train tickets will be purchased directly by AICS Travel);
- attendance fee of 200,00€, to be paid in cash directly during the tournament;
- 3 referee polo shirts;
- tournament registration including insurance;
- all breakfasts and meals from lunch on Wednesday 28th August to lunch on Sunday 1st September 2024;
- all overnight stays from Wednesday 28th August to Saturday 31st August 2024;
- water, tea, coffee and snacks during the tournament;
- private outdoor pool access at the hotel, available throughout the stay;
- free outdoor parking, available throughout the stay;
- transportation service on request, from Bologna Guglielmo Marconi Airport and Bologna Central Train Station to the "Sydney" Hotel round trip, on Wednesday 28th August and Sunday 1st September 2024;
- Wi-Fi network connection, for which username and password will be provided at the hotel reception;
- access to the Showdown platform on the Showdown Italia website at: www.showdownitalia.it/bologna
Recognizing your fundamental and valuable participation, we kindly ask you to send the completed participation form to the mail address: colucci@showdownitalia.it no later than 31st June 2024.
Details of the "Sydney" Hotel and tournament organization references
"Sydney" Hotel:
- Website: www.thesydneyhotel.eu
- Via Michelino 73, 40127 Bologna – Italy
Tournament organization:
- Showdown Italia AICS;
- phone - Whatsapp: +39 340 30 42 479
- Email: info@showdownitalia.it
- Website: www.showdownitalia.it
- Facebook: Showdown Italia
- Instagram: Showdown Italia
Some details about the tournament
- the tournament is open to both visually impaired and sighted players, no points will be awarded in the official IBSA ranking;
- participants will be awarded points on a 100 or 200 basis, which will be included in the international ranking called "Showdown for all". This ranking will be used for all international events open to visually impaired and sighted individuals, where the score will vary depending on the number of participants;
- once registrations are closed, tournament participants will be informed of: the game formats, groups, and matches of the first round with players' names, schedules, and the number of tables where matches will take place, the list of participants, and the names of the referees;
- the final schedule, which may be adjusted based on the number of participants, will be sent out once registrations are closed;
- the "Showdown for all" ranking will be used to compose the groups for the tournament's first round. Players without a ranking will be placed into groups through draws;
- the number of "Czech Republic" type showdown tables on which matches will be played will vary depending on the number of participants;
- official sound balls from Denmark will be used during the tournament;
- matches will be played according to the current IBSA international technical regulations at the time of the tournament;
- arrival, participants will be able to visit the Hotel (their own bedroom, dining room, bar, swimming pool, waiting rooms, and game rooms) accompanied by organizational staff;
- swimming will be allowed in the pool every day from 10:00 am to 7:00 pm;
- during the technical opening meeting of the tournament, participants will also be instructed on how to navigate the online showdown platform, where they can consult in real-time: match schedules, the number of tables for playing, and results; <
- tanks to the installation of a wide-angle camera with integrated microphones, it will also be possible to follow the matches by connecting to the Showdown Italia channel.