Dubai: The Kolluna Khalifa 9-Ball Open billiards championship, hosted by the UAE Billiards and Snooker Association (UAE BSA) in collaboration with the Dubai Sports Council, will be held at the Gloria Hotel in Dubai from July 2-4.
The event, billed as the region's biggest of its kind, is being held under the patronage of Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of Dubai Sports Council. The championship will feature a large number of international players and is attracting participation from across the region. The event follows a unique format, which is a mix of knockout and round robin, which will allow unranked players to participate in the qualification process.
The event qualifiers are being held across all emirates in selected pool clubs and lounges and the finals, comprising of a draw of 128 players, will be held in July. The qualifiers begin from May 8, 2012. The event is being organized by Pro9 who are UAE BSA's management partners and InterPool are the championship's official partners.
"The association thanks the Dubai Sports Council and all our partners for their support. Besides being the region's biggest 9 Ball championship Kolluna Al Emarat - Kolluna Khalifa due to its unique format contributes towards the development of local talent," said Sultan Al Joker, UAE Billiards & Snooker Association.
"The Dubai Sports Council congratulates UAE BSA on the mammoth initiative where over a thousand players will take part in the qualifiers with the aim of reaching the coveted trophy. Their vision and planning will contribute greatly towards the sport at the most basic level now and for years to come," said Dr. Ahmad Al Sharif, Dubai Sports Council.
"9 ball is a sport played quite extensively across the UAE and events of this scale will allow the country to nurture its local talent while developing a sports event property of a global scale. We thank our partners for their support and UAE BSA for giving Pro9 the opportunity to organize the region' biggest ever championship of its kind," said Hesham Al Hindi of Pro9.
