麻將成爲第六大國際智力運動

Mahjong has been named formally as a sixth international mind sport, reports Beijing Daily.

據《北京日報》報道，麻將已經被正式成爲第六項國際智力運動項目。

The tile game, which originated in Ming Dynasty China five hundred years ago, joins the ranks of traditional mind sports: Chess, Bridge, Draughts, Go and Xiangqi.

這項起源於500多年前的中國明朝時期的遊戲，成爲了繼國際象棋、橋牌、國際跳棋、圍棋和象棋之後的第六項國際智力運動。

The move was announced by the International Mind Sports Association (IMSA), during the Global Mind Sports Innovative and Development Forum, which has just drawn to a close in Beijing.

在日前於北京結束的全球智力運動創新發展論壇上，國際智盟宣佈了將麻將納入智力運動的決定。

The decision to admit the Mahjong International League (MIL) as the sixth full member of the IMSA was made during its first Executive Board Meeting in April in Denmark.

而在今年4月於哥本哈根舉行的第一次執行委員會議上，承認麻將國際聯盟作爲國際智盟正式成員的決定就已經做出了。

However, while the game is hugely popular across China, the fact that its rules vary from one region to another, made it difficult to give Mahjong a world profile.

雖然麻將在中國很受歡迎，但是由於各個地方的規則都有所不同，因此很難在全世界對麻將進行推廣。

The setting of world-wide competition rules has facilitated the development of mahjong, and follows the trend of standardization and professionalization in mind sports.

而在全世界範圍內對比賽規則作出制定，促進了麻將運動的發展，順應了體育運動規範化、專業化的發展趨勢。

"Competitive mahjong will bring new opportunities for the enhancement of mind sports around the world. We will further promote the standardization and Mahjong competitions, guided by the concepts of fairness, openness, inclusiveness, inheritance and development," said Jose Damiani, founder and honorary chairman of IMSA.

國際智盟創始人兼榮譽主席喬斯·達米亞尼說道：“競技麻將將爲全世界智力運動的發展帶來新的機遇。我們將在公平、公開、包容、繼承和發展的理念下，進一步促進麻將的標準化、舉辦比賽。”