UAE billiards and snooker body

The UAE Billiards and Snooker Association (UAEBSA) signed a contract with Pro9 Sports Events yesterday under which the company will assume the responsibility of organising tournaments throughout the UAE. The contract was signed by Mohammad Tamjeed Abdullah, vice-president of the UAEBSA, and Majid Al Joker, Pro9 chairman, at the association's headquarters in Dubai's Al Mamzar area. The first event under the contract — an international open competition — will take place in May. The contract also plans to involve pool club operators to play a more positive role in developing the game. Abdullah said: "We are happy to have signed this deal and we see it as a step in the right direction. The proposal put forward by Pro9 had been an interesting one and the UAEBSA board favoured the contract as it would open up fresh opportunities for our national players to develop. While in snooker we continue to be a force to be reckoned with, a special effort is needed to elevate the standards of our pool players. Though we won the eight-ball pool gold medal at the recent West Asian Championships in Fujairah, the event highlighted the need for further improvement on our part to be on par with other Arab nations." Al Joker said: "The popularity of cue sports continues to be on the rise throughout the Middle East and the growing interest in pool means tougher competitions at all levels. "We have come in with a sincere intention of helping the UAE players up the level of their game by providing them with a string of highly competitive events of international standards. "We have put together a team of professionals who are experienced in organising such contests and hopefully thinks will work out as planned."