Poker has been officially declared a mind sport, joining the likes of chess and bridge, following an historic vote by members of the International Mind Sports Association (IMSA) at the weekend.
The World Poker Federation has been pushing for mindsports recognition for several years and celebrated the decision with a party during the Brazilian Series of Poker (BSOP) Millions event in São Paulo.
Those celebrating included former Real Madrid and Brazil soccer star Marcelo Vieira, six-time tennis major winner Bruno Soares and the likes of Andre Akkari and Rafael Moraes from the world of poker.
The WPF induction was reported as “the culmination of a long process that began in December 2022, when WPF was accepted as a provisional IMSA member.”
A global network of 49 national poker federations, the WPF has a mission to “co-operate with governments and international institutions to promote poker’s development, regulation, and standardized rules, ensuring the game’s ethical and sustainable growth.”
WPF President Igor Trafane stated of the unanimous vote:
“Joining IMSA is the closing of a 15-year cycle of work and the beginning of a new journey. This recognition brings peace of mind to players that they are playing a sport; brings security to businesspeople in the sector, and brings stability to thousands of workers in this segment, who earn their livelihood from our activity.”
Formerly President of the Brazilian Federation of Texas Hold’em (CBTH), Trafane added: “With a strong network of federations across more than 49 countries, we have achieved something today that is both unprecedented and definitive. IMSA’s decision represents the dedication of thousands who view poker as a genuine profession and intellectual discipline.”
“Our mission now is to build the foundation that every major sport already has: standardized regulations, professional pathways, player protections, and international competitions.”
Poker’s WPF becomes the ninth such member of the IMSA, alongside the four founding member mindsports federations:
- World Bridge Federation (WBF)
- International Draughts Federation (IDF)
- Fédération Internationale des Échecs (FIDE)
- International Go Federation (IGF),
Those four were later added to:
- World Xiangqi Federation (WXF)
- Mahjong International League (MIL)
- Federation of Card Games (FCG)
- International eSports Federation
Leonardo Cavarge, CEO of the WPF, “Our focus is on building a true global sports structure for poker. The World Poker Federation was built on the belief that, by joining forces, we can amplify our impact and protect the game we love.”
IMSA President Geoffrey Borg, and founder José Damiani, also participated in the celebrations, as did Mítico and Igão hosts of the Podpah podcast.
ESPN presenter Mariana Spinelli and Kyra Hsia, CEO of Adidas, were also in attendance, and a 70-player poker tournament was held with tickets to the Main Event of the Latin America Poker Tour (LAPT) for the champion.
The runner-up will be playing the Main Event of the BSOP, and a seat in the Main Event of the São Paulo State Poker Championship (CPH) went to the third-place finisher.
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