Welshman Darren Morgan won his maiden International Billiards and Snooker Federation (IBSF) World 6Red title after 10 days of intense competitions in Sharm El-Sheikh that saw players from 27 countries competing in four categories for $52,000 in prizes.
by ET staff photos courtesy IBSF
Siripaporn Nuanthakhamjan of Thailand took home the grand prize in the women's category. In the teams categories, the Hong Kong women's team won the World Team Women Championship, while Thailand won the men’s teams championship. Egypt had 8 teams and 12 master players in the tournament, but failed to reach any of the category finals.
“Winning the competition was not easy at all. It required a lot of effort and my opponents sometimes made me question if I will even make it to the quarter finals” said Phisit Chandsri, winner of the men's team championship.
The men's team champion added that the tournament - hoped to put Egypt on the international billiard map and encourage tourism - was very well-organized, while his stay in Egypt proved that the country was safe.
“We often tend to believe the media when it comes to describing the political situation in a region, but now I have learned - and I wish all to learn - that the media always seems to exaggerate," Chandsri said. "A country with political distress will never be able to pull off something as organized to perfection as this year’s tournament. Through my winning, I would like to spread the message that Egypt is a great country.”
The World Team Snooker and 6 Red Tournament was played from July 20-30 at the Pyramisa hotel on the Red Sea, with many participants saying it was one of the best tournaments they had ever attended.
But it wasn't easy to pull in participants among fears that Egypt was not a safe destination. While 48 countries participated in the annual event last year in Hurgada, this year saw 27 countries competing.
Organizers had hoped to pull in 60 teams, but many countries were afraid to send their teams because of the “misconceived idea that Egypt is not safe," said IBSF Secretary General Mohamed Kammah. “Sharm El-Sheikh is pleasant - it’s got the weather, the night-life. But the problem is that Europeans and Americans are afraid.”
The players said the tournament went smoothly and hoped that more teams would attend in the future.
Lin Tang Ho, a Master snooker player from China, said the tournament was perfectly organized. “I’m thrilled to be a part of this magnificent event... It simply couldn’t be better,” he said. Tang Ho added that he'd encourage the whole world to participate in next year’s event.
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