Rangi
Ceki is a traditional card game that is intrinsically linked in people's minds with illegal gambling in Bali.Nevertheless, the Bali chapter of the Federation of Indonesian Community Recreational Sports (FORMI) aims to eliminate the negative image of the card game by hosting a ceki tournament on Dec. 8-9 at GOR Kompyang Sujana in Denpasar.FORMI Bali, which was established a few months ago, regards ceki as a form of recreational sport. "This tournament is the first program of FORMI Bali," said the organization's chairman, A.A. Ngurah Oka Ratmadi.Prior to its decision to host the tournament, FORMI Bali con-ducted research about the public perception of the game in a focus group discussion (FGD) in September.Ratmadi said the FGD involved several community organizations in Bali, including the Indonesia Hindu Parisadha Council (PHDI), the Grand Council of Customary Villages (MDP), some academics and even police personnel.The FGD concluded that ceki itself was not gambling, if there was no betting being done. Thus, without the betting element, ceki could be considered a legal recreational game that is socially and culturally acceptable to society.The organizers of the 2012 ceki tournament have also created a set of rules and regulations published in the ceki tournament guidebook.The guidebook highlights that there will be no betting on the games and that a point system will be applied.The point system is similar to that which has been applied in bridge, which although not contested in the Olympic Games, has had its international organizing body, the World Bridge Federation, recognized as part of the Olympic Movement by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) since 1995.Hundreds of ceki card players from around the island will participate in the tournament.The tournament is expected to enrich the repertoire of recreational games and develop traditional games within Indonesian society."For Bali, this tournament will contribute to national recreational sports, as part of the development of creativity and the preservation of local tradition, which is acceptable legally and culturally at the national level," said Ratmadi.[/QUOTE][url=http://www.thejakartapost.com/bali-daily/2012-11-12/bali-host-ceki-card-tournament-december.html]Bali to host ?Ceki? card tournament in December | The Jakarta Post[/url]
