JUSTICE FOR ALL

Bridge was classified as a sport by the International Olympic Committee in 1998 and is recognised as such by the tax authorities of Austria, Denmark, France, the Netherlands and Belgium.

At a High Court hearing in 2015, the English Bridge Union unsuccessfully challenged Sport England over its refusal to recognise bridge, which would have exempted the EBU from paying VAT on entry fees to tournaments.

Advocate General Yves Bot, top advisor to the European Court of Justice, said the game was a sport because it required mental effort as part of a challenge, but the court has ruled that it cannot be considered a sport. EU law requires proof of benefits to physical or mental well-being for a sport to claim VAT exemption but the judge said Sport England’s current policy defined sport as involving “physical activity” and its move to reject reclassification of bridge was correct.