In spite of all of the negative news about security and so on in Port-au-Prince we managed to play this championship with 12 players proceeding from Brazil,Canada, Curaçao, Guadeloupe, Trinidad & Tobago and Haiti. During our stay of some days in Port-au-Prince on our arrival and departure we just could not take notice of any insecure situation neither by day or by night. The organizing committee realy did a great job to host this championship in Cap Haitien and also the Haitien players were very well prepared for the battle. Ofcourse with the absence of the "Russian"American and Surinam players the Haitian players remained as the first favourite to win the championship. The Haitian players and their coaches were hosted in Hotel Brise du Mer just around the corner where the games were played while all players from abroad, officials and also authorities from Port-au-Prince were hosted in the Rival Hotel, a two-years old hotel built on the edge of a mountain next to the beach and with an excellent vieuw on the Atlantic Ocean and the north of Haiti.
Eventhough this hotel was on a 20 minute walking-distance to the RTK there was an air-conditioning bus to transport players and officials whenever they needed to.
On January 15 at 7 p.m. we held the opening-ceremonies and loting and started the next morning at 11 o'clock with the first round.
The championship was played in a very good ambiance with every day about approximately 200 expectators: men, women,boys and girls visiting the games.
The game of draughts is extremely popular in Haiti and especially in Cap Haitien.
The organizing committee had some kind of guard/policeman to keep the public quiet but after all I think that this was not realy needed as the population of Cap Haitien is very peacefull, polite, sincere and with a respectfull behaviour towards strangers.
This championship was sponsored by mr. Jose Ulysse, owner of a construction company in Port-au-Prince and also owner of the Radio and Telivision Station Konbit where the games were played in Cap Haitien. Mr. Jose Ulysse is a very quiet good man and has a warm heart for the game of draughts and now became the official sponsor of the Haitian Draughts Federation. Before the championship was finished we were trying to get a trainer from Holland for Haiti. Mr. Jose Ulysse is willing to pay one good trainer to come to Haiti for one year and prepare the players for the world championship in 2005 in Holland. The closing-ceremonies of this championship that started at 7 p.m. was a big party like never seen before on a Pan-American or a World Championship. There was about 350 to 400 guests and after the official part there was a show of cultural music, Haitian jazz and dancing that lasted until after 1 o'clock a.m.
We all know by now the good performance of the Haitian players in the championship. Also against each other they played good games. We want to thanks them for this and also we do congratulate them with this achievement and wish them all the best in the coming world championship.
Also the refrees Hensley Rondei and Cor Verdel did a very nice job and Nel Verdel was great at the computer and therefore they also receive our congratulation.
Finally we want to say thanks to all the players that did come to Haiti to play the championship especially mr. Maggiore who finds that we deserve a decoration from the FMJD for this achievement and to those players who did not come we say do not cry too much and next time better luck. The 13th Pan-American Championship with all probability will be held in july 2005 in Montreal Canada and the 14th edition during the Pan-American Games in 2007 in Rio Do Janeiro in Brazil.
Raoul Alias.