CAÏRO - The World championship three cushion for men has been returned to the calendar by the UMB, the world federation, and moved to a new location. The global event, in which Torbjörn Blomdahl defends his title, will be played in Sharm El Sheikh instead of South Korea, following the World Cup which will be held there from 5 to 11 December 2021. That official news will be announced on the UMB website late last night. The World championship was initially scheduled to be held in South Korea from 20-24 October 2021.
The main advantage of Sharm El Sheikh is that both the World Cup and the World Championship are played in a closed resort where health rules can be guaranteed. The UMB's philosophy this year was that tournaments could not take place in a period when quarantines were required for the players.
For that reason, among others, the Junior and Ladies World Championships, which should been held from 28 September to 3 October in Heerhugowaard, the Netherlands, were recently cancelled and postponed.
Torbjörn Blomdahl became the world champion in Randers on 1 December 2019. That was the last global championship played, as Corona measures prevented another edition. Blomdahl was the successor of Dick Jaspers and has been the reigning world champion since that event in Randers.
The UMB will soon decide on the World Cup in Veghel after that cycle was halted as well. The tournament in the Dutch town, where HaengJik Kim won the last edition, should be played from 7 to 13 November.
Harry Mathijssen, the organizer with the BEN Foundation, assures that there are only a few formalities to be fulfilled. ''I certainly expect it to go ahead'', he said this Sunday night. The UMB still asks the organization for guarantees from the KNBB and NOC/NSF.
The last World Cup was played in Antalya from 17-23 February. Dani Sánchez won the final against Dick Jaspers. With the upcoming World Cups in Veghel, Sharm El Sheikh and early next year, in February, in Turkey, the cycle will make a new start.
The UMB news on this Sunday evening includes:
,,With the worldwide vaccination against the COVID-19 virus progressing strongly, there are more and more possibilities to organize sports events under controlled safety measures. In view of this favorable global development, the Egyptian Federation of Billiard Sports (EFBS), together with the African and Middle Eastern Billiard Confederation, will organize the following events that will take place in Sharm El Sheikh, for which UMB is very grateful:
28 November to 4 December 2021: Sharm El Sheikh World Cup.
07 - 11 December 2021: World 3-cushion Championship 2021/2022
10 December 2021: UMB General Assembly
The UMB sports calendar has been updated with these events.
Entry formalities for Egypt, given the COVID-19 pandemic, follow global security measures, valid for all countries, and require either proof of full vaccination or an official international negative PCR test, with no quarantine requirement.