ANTWERP - The diamond trophy (worth € 50,000) was exposed in the room, the world champion was present and the Supercup gala was at the centre of attention for an hour. In the wedding room of the historical Antwerp city hall, the kick-off was given for the tradition of which Ludo Dielis is the instigator and the figurehead and where the world's best players are parading at a gala performance.
It will again take place at the Hilton Hotel in Antwerp this year, on Saturday March 5th. The 2015 World champion Torbjörn Blomdahl and the World Cup winner, Dani Sánchez, meet in an ultra short match in sets to seven for the Supercup, followed by the election of the Player of the Year, for which three players have been nominated: Torbjörn Blomdahl, Dani Sánchez and (surprisingly) Tayfun Tasdemir.
These nominations are not random: the first fifty players of the world ranking and the federations were allowed to send their votes to the UMB. Ludo Dielis, the organizer: ,,Honestly, I expected Dick Jaspers, as he himself did, but one of Turkey's star players as a candidate is certainly a good development.''
The media interest is huge, the gala is growing every year with its many VIP guests and real billiards fans. The winner of the Supercup will receive 5000 euros, the loser 1000 euros.
The Player of the Year will also receive € 5,000, the runner-in 1500, the number three 1000. The three times elected Player of the Year over five years is rewarded by the Ludo Dielis 3-Cushion World Player Award, a thin diamond trophy with an estimated value of 50.000 euros.
Ludo Dielis already looked into the future during the press conference. ,,This Supercup Gala will continue as an annual event, but we are thinking about a new creation in Antwerp: a kind of Masters with the best eight players in the world. I am leaving this week for the World championship in Viersen to talk about it, and the plans are very serious.''
The press conference at City Hall attracted many interested and well known people, including the 79-year-old Reginald Depoorter, who says farewell this week as chairman for 31 years of the Belgian billard federation. Two candidates have applied: Bennie van Goethem and Arthur Standaert. ,,I don't know who'll be the winner, but it will be close'', foresees Depoorter. According to the experts at the press conference, Standaert could greatly profit from the large Antwerp region.
The audience will be treated to an extra bonus: at the end of the night Raymond Ceulemans and Ludo Dielis will play a match against Torbjörn Blomdahl and Dani Sánchez.
Kozoom and some Belgian tv stations will broadcast the event.
The list of honour of the Supercup winners:
2001: Torbjörn Blomdahl defeats Raymond Ceulemans
2002: Torbjörn Blomdahl beats Zanetti
2003: Semih Saygıner beats Torbjörn Blomdahl
2004: Dani Sánchez beats Jaspers
2005: Frédéric Caudron-Dani Sánchez ends in a draw, Sánchez wins after shootouts
2006: Eddy Merckx beats Dani Sánchez
2007: Riuuji Umeda beats Torbjörn Blomdahl
2008: Marco Zanetti defeats Dick Jaspes
2009: Frédéric Caudron beats Filippos Kasidokostas
2010: Dick Jaspers beats Dani Sánchez
2014 Frédéric Caudron beats Sung-Won Choi.
The Player of the Year:
2001: Torbjörn Blomdahl
2002: Marco Zanetti
2003: Semih Saygıner
2004: Dani Sánchez
2005: Dani Sánchez
2006: Dani Sánchez
2007: Torbjörn Blomdahl
2008: Dick Jaspers
2009: Frédéric Caudron
2010: Dick Jaspers
2014: Sung-Won Cho
