[Tango-L] Debacle of the 2011 Metropolitan Championships in Buenos Aires: SUMMARY

[Shahrukh Merchant]

In my attempt to write a 3-part detailed analysis (of which I've so far 
just published Part 1) on this topic, and the subsequent discussion, I'm 
realizing that my detailed explanation will end up being "Can't see the 
forest for the trees" for most.

So here is the chronological "executive summary," which is really quite 
straightforward.

1. Metropolitan (City of Buenos Aires) Tango championships were held in 
May 2011 with new rules restricting participation to Argentine nationals 
only (with at least one being a resident of the city of Buenos Aires).

2. At the 11th hour, Argentine attorney Carlos Boeri with his Canadian 
wife Alison Murray, appeal to the courts to allow them to compete, and 
this is granted just a couple of days before the competition (few 
details available on the basis for that appeal).

3. Three other foreign/mixed couples see this and decide to try it too 
(on the basis of it being unconstitutionally discriminatory against 
foreigners). One includes an Argentine attorney, so he becomes the de 
facto representative for them all: Christian Rubilar (the Argentine 
attorney) and Mong Lan (Vietnam), Daniel Peralta (Argentina) & Rebecca 
Sinead O'Loire (Ireland), Sebastián Pereyra (Argentina) y Delia Hou 
(Taiwan). But this was the 13th hour, so while the judge rules in their 
favour, the Metropolitan competition had already happened by then with 
winners declared, and so forth.

4. So the judge declares the Metropolitan competition results annulled 
and orders the government to restage them. Since this would have created 
a big miss, with appeals, unfairness to the current winners, and a great 
deal of ill feeling all around, finally, all parties work out a 
compromise (a pretty good one actually, all things considered), whereby 
the original competition results stand, but a new parallel competition 
is organized and held with the same prizes as the original Metropolitan. 
This is the Milongueros del Mundo (MDM) competition that was just held 
in early August open to everyone EXCEPT where both members of the couple 
were Argentines (they presumably already had had their chance).

5. Winners of the Metropolitan and Winners of the Milongueros del Mundo 
will both compete directly in the semi-finals of the Mundial to be held 
in late August as part of the Buenos Aires Tango Festival & Mundial 
(along with everyone else from any part of the world who has registered 
to compete, but the others have to go through qualifying rounds first).

These are a summary of "just the basic facts," at least as best I know 
them. My remaining detailed posts, if I ever get around to writing them, 
were to be more of an exposé ... :-).

Shahrukh