ANTWERP – Belgian billiards is looking forward to a fantastic World three-cushion championship in Antwerp. The battle for the world title next month, from October 14 to 18, in search of a successor to Korea's Myung Woo Cho, features no fewer than six Belgian participants in the field of 48 global players. Eddy Merckx, Peter Ceulemans, Roland Forthomme and Ronny Brants are among the seeded players, while Frédéric Caudron and Bart Ceulemans have been given wildcards. For Ronny Brants, the surprise was huge early this Sunday morning. “I’m verydelighted to participate in the world championship in my own country,” said the 65-year-old Belgian participant proudly. Bart Ceulemans, like Peter Ceulemans, is a grandson of the legend Raymond Ceulemans. It is undoubtedly the first time in history that two grandsons of a world champion are participating in a World Championship
This Sunday, the world federation announced the players who will compete in the tournament, organized by Kurt Ceulemans and his team. The World Championship follows the World Cup in Antwerp, which will be played from October 6 to 12. The venue is the AED Studios in Lint, Antwerp. Kurt Ceulemans has invited the world press to a press conference in Lier on Tuesday, September 16.
In addition to the 16 seeded players and the title holder, the World Championship will be played with 13 European players, 8 from the American region, from Asia, 3 from Africa and the Middle East, and two wildcard players from the Belgian organization.
Myung Woo Cho tops the rankings as the reigning world champion ahead of Dick Jaspers, Eddy Merckx, Quyet Chien Tran, and Marco Zanetti. The players in the field with one or more world titles to their name are Torbjörn Blomdahl, Dick Jaspers, Frédéric Caudron, Myung Woo Cho, Eddy Merckx, Marco Zanetti, Tayfun Tasdemir, Ryuuji Umeda, and Phuong Vinh Bao.
The Belgians have 6 players in the field, the Koreans and Vietnamese 5, the Turks 4, the Colombians 3, and the Dutch, Germans, French, Mexicans, and Egyptians 2.
The participants:
Myung Woo Cho (Korea), Dick Jaspers (Netherlands), Eddy Merckx (Belgium), Quyet Chien Tran (Vietnam), Marco Zanetti (Italy), Thanh Luc Tran (Vietnam), Tayfun Tasdemir (Turkey), Sameh Sidhom (Egypt), Jérémy Bury (France), Jung Han Heo (Korea), Martin Horn (Germany), Peter Ceulemans (Belgium), Tolgahan Kiraz (Turkey), Haeng Jik Kim (Korea), Berkay Karakurt (Turkey), Roland Forthomme (Belgium), Hong Chiem Thai (Vietnam), Tom Löwe (Germany), Jean Paul de Bruijn (Netherlands), Carlos Anguita (Spain), Torbjörn Blomdahl (Sweden), Arnim Kahofer (Austria), Mikael Devogelaere (France), Yilmaz Ozcan (Turkey), Thomas Andersen (Denmark), Nick Polychronopoulos (Greece), Martin Bohac (Czech Republic), Jose Miguel Soares (Portugal), Ronny Brants (Belgium), Kenan Canurk (Switzerland), Alejandro Santiago (Mexico) Luis Sobreyra (Mexico), Huberney Cataño (Colombia), Alexander Munoz (Colombia), Pedro Gonzalez (Colombia), Luis Aveiga (Ecuador), Luis Bahamontes (Chile), Pedro Piedrabuena (USA), Beom Yeol Lee (Korea), Wan Young Choi (Korea), Tran Thanh Nguyen (Vietnam), Phuong Vinh Bao (Vietnam), Ryuuji Umeda (Japan), Mohamed Abdin (Egypt), Naser Awwad (Jordan), Jihad Kolfad (Lebanon), Frédéric Caudron (Belgium), Bart Ceuleans (Belgium).
The World Cup in Antwerp now has 149 participants and 153 players on the reserve list. That is clear proof of the popularity of the two tournaments in Belgium. Dick Jaspers, ranked number 1 in the world, is seeded first, ahead of Myung Woo Cho, Quyet Chien Tran, Eddy Merckx, and Marco Zanetti. The wildcards have been awarded to Haeng Jik Kim, Peter Ceulemans, and Roland Forthomme. The notable name in 79th place is Torbjörn Blomdahl, who is making his comeback after rupturing his Achilles tendon and is now back in full training. Therese Klompenhouwer is also playing in a World Cup again.
Frenchman Jerome Riotto tops the reserve list. Other well-known names further down the list are: Carlos Crespo (8), Patrice Lalane (12), Alexander Salazar (13), Denizcan Akkoca (17), Joris van 't Zelfden (26), Jean van Erp (106), and Luis Aveiga (122). Manuel Prates is last at 153.
Four figureheads for the world's events: the players Peter and Bart Ceulemans, the organizer Kurt Ceulemans and the legend and ambassador Raymond Ceulemans.