Thailand, India, Iran, UAE, Egypt, Hong Kong, Singapore and Bahrain to be invited as the Pakistan Billiards & Snooker Association finalizes details with the countrys Sport Board.

LAHORE The Pakistan Billiards and Snooker Association (PBSA) is planning to host an 8-nation 6-Red International Snooker Championship in September this year, association chief Alamgir Shaikh announced on Tuesday. 

“We have extended an invitation to eight countries including Thailand, India, Iran, UAE, Egypt, Hong Kong, Singapore and Bahrain and we hope to have a well attended international event at home,” the spokesman said here on Tuesday.

The format and other details of the championship will be announced as soon as the PBSA finalizes the mega event with the sponsors and the Pakistan Sports Board, he said.

According to the spokesman, Pakistan will take part in three major international events next year after they were finalised in the Asian Confederation of Billiard Sports Annual General Meeting held recently in Thailand to plan for the calendar year 2011.

The events include the 1st Asian 6-Red Championship (January) in Bangkok Thailand, the 12th Asian U21 Snooker Championship (April) in Iran and the 27th Asian Snooker Championship (May) scheduled to be held in India.

He said the officials of PBSA also held a meeting in Thailand with the renowned Indian snooker coach Sanjay Sawant in which a three-month training programme for Pakistan players was also finalized.

The Pakistan Billiards & Snooker Association will now be seeking the necessary permission from the Pakistan Sports Board and the Sports Ministry for approval of funds relating to the Sawant's coaching stint after which the PBSA will finalize the terms and conditions with the coach who is scheduled to fly to Pakistan in November.

He added it was matter of great pleasure that the Pakistan snooker team performed excellently in the recently concluded 26th Asian Snooker Championship held in Thailand.

“Once again Pakistan has become a force to reckon with by becoming the 2nd ranked nation of Asia in snooker. Our player Muhammad Sajjad outplayed his opponents and won all his qualifying league matches and topped his group and remained unbeaten he remained unbeaten  final,” he said.

Sajjad created a new record of four country breaks including the highest break of 134 which has been recorded for the first time in the Asian Championship. He was also the first Pakistani in 12 years to reach the final of the Asian event after Mohammad Yousuf won the title in Karachi in 1998.

Pakistan team will take part in following events in coming months Sangsom 6-Red Championship,July19-24 Bangkok, Thailand (Top 16 World Professional Snooker Players will also participate in the event), Asian Games, November 13-20 Guangzhou, China, IBSF World Snooker Championship December 4-15,Damascus, Syria. -APP