3-Cushion
BORDEAUX - Two months before the start of the World championship three cushion in Bordeaux, the UMB (world federation of billiards) has announced the 48 players from all over the world, who will take a shot at the title from 15 to 19 November. Torbjörn Blomdahl defends the world title that he conquered in the Palaix des Congrès last year. The total field of players consists of 26 Europeans, eleven Asians, eight Americans and three Africans. The Koreans deliver the biggest delegation with six players, followed by Belgium and France with four, Turkey, Colombia and Vietnam with three. Jérémy Bury and Jean-Christophe Roux play for the hosting country, the wildcards were assigned to Jérôme Barbeillon and Marc Boigneres.
The tournament director of the 69th World championship, held in Bordeaux for the second time in a row, is Kozoom CEO Xavier Carrer. Raymond Ceulemans ranked last year's championship among the five best ever organized. The prize money was raised to 10.000 euros for the winner, 6.000 for the runner-up, 3.500 for the numbers three and four and 2.000 for the numbers five until eight.
Torbjörn Blomdahl, who had been chasing a new world title for no less than 19 years, won last year's final in a spectacular battle with the Korean Dong Koong Kang. The Swede was already the reigning European champion, the title he must defend in Brandenburg next year.
Besides the defending champion, the seeded players are: Frédéric Caudron (Belgium), Dick Jaspers (Netherlands), Eddy Merckx (Belgium), Marco Zanetti (Italy), Dani Sánchez (Spain), Sameh Sidhom (Egypt), Nikos Polychronopoulos (Greece) Jérémy Bury (France), Quyet Chien Tran (Vietnam), Dong Koong Kang (Korea), Jae Ho Cho (South Korea), Roland Forthomme (Belgium), Tayfun Tasdemir (Turkey), Haeng Jik Kim (South Korea ), Jung Han Heo (Korea), Murat Naci Coklu (Turkey).
The other European players (CEB): Michael Nilsson (Sweden), Semih Saygıner (Turkey), Radek Novak (Czech Republic), Christian Rudolph (Germany), Kostas Kokkoris (Greece), Eddy Leppens (Belgium), Raimond Burgman (Netherlands) Jean-Christophe Roux (France), Javier Palazón (Spain), Arnim Kahofer (Austria), Lars Dunch (Denmark), Christakis Christoforou (Cyprus), Cetin Behzat (Switzerland).
For North and South America will play: Hugo Patino (USA), Erick Tellez (Costa Rica), Pedro Piedrabuena (USA), Huberney Cataño (Colombia), Robinson Morales (Colombia), Henry Diaz (Colombia), Ramon Rodriguez (Peru) and Guillermo Perez (Argentina).
For Asia: Quoc Nguyen Nguyen (Vietnam), Jae Guen Kim (South Korea), Antoine Gholam (Lebanon), Ryuuji Umeda (Japan), Minh Cam Ma (Vietnam) Hyung Kon Kim (South Korea).
For Africa: Riad Nady (Egypt), Ihab El Messery (Egypt).
The wildcards: Jérôme Barbeillon (France), Marc Boigneres (France).
The title defender Torbjörn Blomdahl
Frédéric Caudron and Huberney Cataño
The group format:
Group A: Blomdahl, Christoforou, Rodriguez
Group B: Caudron, Barbeillon, Tellez
Group C: Jaspers, Kahofer, Gholam
Group D: Merckx, Jae Guen Kim, Burgman
Group E: Zaneti, Hyung Kon Kim, Patino
Group F: Sánchez, Rudolph Diaz
Group G: Sidhom, Ma, Kokkoris
Group H: Polychronopoulos, Palazón, Behzat
Group I: Bury, Leppens Nilsson
Group J: Tran, El Messery, Morales
Group K Kang, Sayginer, Umeda
Group L: Cho, Nady, Novak
Group M: Forthomme, Cataño, Dunch
Group N: Tasdemir, Nguyen, Roux
Group O: Haeng Jik Kim, Piedrabuena, Boigneres
Group P: Heo, Coklu Perez.
In the sixteen groups will be played to 40 caroms with equal innings. The group winners advance to the knockout with sixteen players. The knock-out are also played to 40 points with equal innings and shoot-outs in case of a draw.
The tournament starts on Tuesday, November 15th at 14.00 with the matches Christoforou-Rodriguez, Barbeillon-Tellez, Kahofer-Gholam and Jae Guen Kim-Burgman.
The semi-finals are on Saterday, November 19th at 13.00 and 15.00, the final is at 18.00.
The delegates are Farouk Barki (UMB), Bennie Deegens (CEB) and Jean Paul Sinanian (France).