Applying for MERS certification

An EMA member organization can apply for the certification of a tournament. The request must be send by the national board member to the board of the EMA at least 3 months ahead of the tournament.

The certification 'MERS Competition – certified by EMA' is granted to the tournament after the decision of the presidium. This certificate can be used for promotion by the organizers of the tournament.

Number of MERS tourmaments per country

A maximum of three competitions per country and per rule set can be certified each year; one MERS 2 and two MERS 1 tournaments. This was decided at the General Assembly 2009; and an exception was decided by the board of EMA in November 2012 for the French department of Réuinon to have the same quota of tournaments:  one MERS-2 and two MERS-1 tournaments for each rule set per year. Because of its remoteness from the French mainland and the other European countries, it is very difficult for Réunion players to participate in international mahjong tournaments. And vice versa, few European players travel to the tournaments this overseas French department. The proposal comes into force 1 January 2013, but must be approved formally at the General Assembly 2013.

Avoiding coincident tournaments

If applications for two or more competitions (weight 2 or 5) should be requested for the same date, EMA will first negotiate with the organizers. If both insist on the same date, the date of receipt at the presidium of EMA is decisive. Different MERS 1 tournaments may be organized on the same date; EMA will try to avoid this, but given the number of tournaments, this cannot always be achieved. This was decided at the General Assembly 2009.

EMA Observer at MERS tournaments

Organisers are responsible for appointment of an EMA observer, and announcing the name at least two weeks before the event. The observer should preferably be an EMA board member from another country, or an experienced tournament player from another country. If in doubt organisers can ask the EMA presidium to appoint an observer when the list of participants is finalised. Observers would normally participate in the tournament as a player.

The EMA observer should submit a small report to the EMA board shortly after the tournament containing

• Name of the EMA observer
• Tournament name, location and dates.
• Rule system and MERS weight.
• Playing schedule: Number and length of playing sessions
• Number of participants and number of countries represented
• Names of the referees and whether they were playing or non-playing
• Number of prizes and what they are awarded for
• A few comments on the overall organisation, like playing venue, the equipment (tiles, tables), catering
• Information and communication before and during the tournament. Was a clock clearly visible during sessions, and were results clearly communicated between sessions?
• Irregularities experienced, if any
• Complaints received or questions raised, if any
• Brief conclusion

MERS competition must be open for all players from European countries.

Only players who are residents of EMA member countries are listed in the European ranking systems. A player needs an EMA registration number in order to be listed.

If an EMA member country requires a national membership administration – for players to be able to participate in tournaments – then EMA respects that such countries excludes such players. This does not imply that other countries should have to exclude such players. Players who do not comply with the regulations set by their country, will not enter the EMA ranking list.

There must be at least 16 players from EMA member countries participating; any limitations for the maximum number of players, for instance due to dimensions of the venue, will have to be approved by the EMA.

EMA has established a ranking system for European Mahjong players – the Mahjong European Ranking System (MERS). It is based on the results of Mahjong tournaments that are certified by the EMA.

The EMA can acknowledge local, (inter)national European tournaments and championships to be rated as MERS competitions. Also online tournaments organized by EMA partners may apply for certification. Further important tournaments may also be certified. All certifications are decided by the presidium of the EMA.

Local and (inter)national MERS competitions in Europe must be organized or promoted by a member organization or partner of the EMA.