First ever WCBS Championship has begun

The World Confederation of Billiards Sports (WCBS), is hosting its own championship for the first time in its history, which kicked off today in Ankara, Türkiye.

This high-class event is held with the support of the Turkish Billiards Federation (TBF) and unites athletes from more than 40 countries and all relevant billiards disciplines worldwide under one roof.

A total of six teams are at the start, whereby special importance is placed on a balanced mix of genders, so that sportswomen and sportsmen from Pool Billiards, Heyball, 3-Cushion, and Snooker take part in this event.

Already in the early morning, during the opening ceremony and the subsequent photo session for the press, a high spirit among the athletes was noticeable.

Everyone was looking forward to finally swinging the cue in their respective discipline and playing in the impressive arena with a total of eight billiard tables.

The teams will play in a round-robin mode on the first three days, before the semi-finals and the finals scheduled on Sunday.

The day started with Team Americas against Africa & Rest of the World. In both 3-Cushion and Snooker, Africa & Rest of the World showed superiority and won all four games. In Pool and Heyball, the Americas’ athletes were tied, but eventually, it was an overall victory for Africa & Rest of the World.

Next up were the interesting duels between the two European and two Asian teams. Europe A and Europe B were tied for a long time in their match, which finally culminated in a draw in the Women’s Pool between Kristina Zlateva (Bulgaria) and Sara Rocha from Portugal. But at the end, it was Europe A who had the upper hand.

The match between Asia A and Asia B was exciting as well. While the points were shared in 3-Cushion, Snooker and Heyball, the pool matches were decided in favour of Asia B. Badar Alawadhi (Kuwait) and Silviana Lu (Indonesia) prevailed in their matches and sealed their victories.

In the late afternoon, the fourth match of the day pitted Europe A against Africa & Rest of the World. Both teams had been victorious in the opener and an exciting match was expected. While the Africa & Rest of the World was superior in 3-Cushion, Europe A secured the points in Snooker. In Pool, both games ended in a draw, so the decision had to be made in Heyball. After the victory of Kelly Fisher (Great Britain), Saki Kanatlar (Turkey), kept his nerve and gave Europe A the much needed edge.

The last match of the day between Europe B and Americas was a clear affair. The Europeans won both games in 3-Cushion and Snooker and added more points with victories in the Men’s Pool and the Men’s Heyball. Americas drew in Women’s Pool and won the only match in the Women’s Heyball.

WCBS would like to thank its sponsors Joy, Andy Cloth, Aramith Billiard Balls, and Zeki Bilardo for their great support, without which this event would not be possible.

In addition, we are happy about the partnership with the Touch PR agency from Germany, which is responsible for photos, press releases and PR measures. Furthermore, we would like to thank the Turkish Billiards Federation (TBF) for their role in hosting this event.

For all important information about the schedule, the player list and the livestream, please visit the following link: https://wcbs.sport/wcbs-championship-2023/ 

Thank you.