In a letter dated January 4, 2007, the former President of the World Confederation of Boules Sports (CMSB), Alphonse Lagier-Bruno, notified the International World Games Association that, as of December 18, 2006, Romolo Rizzoli, president of the international and the Italian federations governing the Italian version of boules sports - which is commonly known as 'Raffa' or 'Bocce' - had been elected as his successor.As of Januray 4, a new CMSB Secretary General and Treasuer had not yet been appointed.For the past 14 years, Alphonse Lagier-Bruno, a retired high school headmaster hailing from Gap, France, spearheaded the campaigns on behalf of all boules sports to assume an increasingly prominent role within the framework of The World Games.After the premiere of Pétanque in The World Games 1985 London, Great Britain, after the premiere of Boule Lyonnaise in The World Games 1997 Lahti, Finland, and after Raffa's first ever appearance as an inofficial demonstration event in The World Games 2005 Duisburg, Germany, Alphonse Lagier-Bruno managed to get the IWGA Program Commission to approve the inclusion of all three boules sports - as official sports - in The World Games 2009 Kaohsiung, Chinese Taipeh.Lagier-Bruno's commitment to all four sports under the CMSB's umbrella (Pétanque, Boule Lyonnaise, Raffa, Lawn Bowls) was unwavering. He not only succeeded in upping the profile of the sports governed by the CMSB within the framework of The World Games, he also managed to have three out of the four included in the Mediterranean Games 2009, to be held in Pescara, Italy.The IWGA bids farewell to one of its stern supporters, knowing full well that it can always count on his continued input - to further the development of The World Games - as President of the International Boule Lyonnaise Federation - FIB.A bientôt, Alphonse!