Italian Team takes Malaria Lead - Emory ties George Washington University - Nepal coming on strong.

Molfetta Against Malaria www.MadnessAgainstMalaria.com/Ciccio , a team based in Molfetta, Italy, is in first place in the Madness Against Malaria fun(draising) tournament at the end of week eleven of the tournaments regular season. Molfetta's team is led by value investor Ciccio Azzollini and his company Cattolica Partecipazioni/Cattolica Popolare.

Ciccio writes: "My company, Cattolica Partecipazioni/Cattolica Popolare, and I are very proud to be part of this new project. After learning about it earlier this year from my good friend Whitney Tilson, we began by supporting the World Swim for Malaria and are delighted to support Madness Against Malaria as well. In January of this year, I traveled to Kenya and Ethiopia with Whitney and saw up close the devastation and suffering that malaria causes. When a mere $5 will buy a bednet that will literally save a life, how could I not support this effort?

Whitney Tilson, also a value investor, runs a hedge fund and mutual fund in New York. His team, Six Degress of Tilson (www.MadnessAgainstMalaria.com/Tilson), was in the lead of the tournament until Whitney recruited Ciccio to the tournament. Lance Laifer, co-Founder of Madness Against Malaria, said "Whitney's recruitment of Ciccio and his friends and family in Molfetta to the tournament is a wonderful example for all Madness participants. It highlights the fact that we can have a much greater impact if we can recruit others to join the tournament and lead new teams."

During Week eleven the team from Emory University www.MadnessAgainstMalaria.com/EMORY continued its steady climb through the rankings by moving into a tie with the team from George Washington University www.MadnessAgainstMalaria.com/GW for sixth place. Nepal Covered www.MadnessAgainstMalaria.com/Nepal-Covered
continued to impress and is now in fifth place.

About Madness Against Malaria

Madness Against Malaria is a fun, international online competition to identify the team that is best at raising funds to buy long-lasting insecticidal (mosquito) nets (LLINs) to help in the fight against malaria. The aim is to involve people all over the world. A team is any group willing to band together to raise funds. It could be a school, a group of friends, religious group, science class, volunteer group, company, work colleagues, sports club, family. Each team will try to get others to donate money to the cause at their team page. The aim will be to win the Malaria Cup by raising enough money to be the last team standing. 100% of the money raised will buy long lasting insecticidal mosquito nets. Madness Against Malaria is an initiative of the World Swim For Malaria Foundation (WSMF), a charity registered in the UK, US, Australia and a number of other countries.

WSMF launched and ran World Swim For Malaria (WSM) on 3rd Dec 2005 in which more than 250,000 people swam and fund raised. 100% of the US$1.3m raised purchased 270,000 long lasting insecticidal nets

(LLINs) which are now being distributed to protect 540,000 (mainly) children from biting insects when they sleep at night.

The "regular season" for the Madness Against Malaria Tournament will last from September 2006 until February 2007. Teams set up a sponsorship page online and raise money. Teams can start raising money whenever they like during this period. The top 64 teams by funds raised at the end of February go through to a week-to-week single elimination tournament over six weeks until one team is crowned as the champion. Throughout all phases of the tournament, 100% of funds raised will be used to buy long-lasting insecticidal nets and save lives.

March 1 - 11 - The Tournament begins. The top 64 teams are paired off and 'compete' knock-out style against each other. By March 12, 32 teams remain.

March 12 - 18 - The 32 teams compete against each other and 16 teams remain

March 19 - 25 - Sweet Sixteen single elimination round.

March 26 - April 1 - Elite Eight single elimination round.

April 2 - 8 - Final Four single elimination round.

April 9-15 - Championship Week - single elimination round, winner is announced

There might be some interesting pairings during the Tournament's single elimination phase. A large multi-national corporation might play against a school of 700 children in Saudi Arabia; a basketball team in Milwaukee against a Rotary club in Australia; a few people in the office of a multinational in Nairobi might be paired against a group of malaria researchers in Switzerland. Teams can be any number of people, from anywhere.

Strategy, timing and tactics will be important. Teams will need to be strategic in their fundraising because it is not a cumulative contest.

Money raised does not carry over from the regular season to the elimination round and money raised in each week of the elimination round does not carry over to the next week. To win, a team will need to finish in the top 64 teams at the end of February, but then that team is paired against another team in the first round of the knock out phase and both start from $0. The team in each pairing raising the most money over the next week, progresses. Each team's total is then reset to $0 (again). For each of the other final elimination rounds the totals are, likewise, set back to zero.

Teams will need to be smart. If a team finishes at top of the pile at the end of February but is 'beaten' in the first knock out round, that team is out.

There is no limit to the number of people you can co-opt into your team at any time. Particularly during March, that may be important…

Will it be a school, a company, a foundation, or a ten year old child that manages to rally everyone in the world around her? Your guess is as good as ours.

To register your team and get started click here www.madnessagainstmalaria.com

Contact: Lance Laifer 203-899-0657

email - vs.malaria@gmail.com