China National Taiwan Association: Chinese billiards with a population of 60 million and 40 million are playing Chinese style
Xinhua News Agency, Washington, October 25, Sports Special Telegram, Carefully Build Independent Intellectual Property Brand Events-Interview with Wang Tao, Secretary General of China Billiards Association
The 2017 Chinese Billiards World Championship overseas qualification was held in Virginia, USA. Wang Tao, secretary general of the Chinese Billiards Association, said in an exclusive interview with Xinhua News Agency on the 25th that this marks the first time that a billiards event with Chinese independent intellectual property rights has been launched overseas. From the perspective of fitness, the integration of Chinese and Western billiard culture, and the promotion of industrial development, the Chinese Billiards World Championship is steadily moving forward on a healthy track.
Chinese billiards began to be popular among the people in the 1980s, but the name rules were very vague at that time, black eight, sixteen color, American pocket, Chinese eight ball, various names are mixed.
“Based on the National Fitness Program and considering the huge number of Chinese billiards participating, we first integrated the names and formulated a set of rules in line with the development of Chinese billiards,” said Wang Tao. “The Chinese National Taiwan Association began to organize Chinese billiards national rankings in 2012. In the game, everyone responded enthusiastically to the integration of the various “jianghu sects” scattered among the people by the Chinese National Taiwan Association. We feel that we have developed American billiards for so many years, and the proportion of participants is not as good as expected. As soon as Chinese billiards were played, they immediately received widespread response from billiards fans, indicating that this style of play must have its characteristics and unique charm.”
“Snooker watched a lot and participated relatively little, while the crowd watching Chinese billiards may not be so many, but the crowd involved is quite large, and it has become a part of our usual life and leisure. Through small billiards, we drive everyone’s enthusiasm for participation. , To promote the development of physical and mental health, which is a good thing,” Wang Tao said.
In 2015, the Chinese Billiard World Championships with independent intellectual property rights came into being. The China Billiards Association has cooperated with the three major international billiard organizations, the International Billiards Federation, the World Professional Billiards Federation, and the World Pool Association to make it the world’s highest-level Chinese billiards event, marking that Chinese billiards has been recognized by the world billiards community. Its success is also inseparable from the strong support of the organizer Beijing Xingpai Company (www.xingpaibilliard.com), as well as the joint promotion and assistance of associations and related enterprises at all levels.
After two years of hosting the competition, this competition has also attracted many foreign athletes to participate. The first competition in 2015 attracted 305 players from all over the world. In 2016, the number of players in the second competition increased to 364. It is understood that the Chinese Billiards World Championship has a prize of 500,000 U.S. dollars, and many top snooker players including Selby, Trump, Robertson and American nine-ball players have participated in it.
“Through their (foreign players) entry, we suddenly found the charm of Chinese billiards. Players playing snooker and American style, under another table and rules, they can also integrate things in their own field. Chinese players have also learned a lot in Chinese billiards,” Wang Tao said.
Wang Tao said that placing the qualifying matches directly overseas has reduced the cost of foreign players coming to China to play the qualifying matches. At the same time, the Chinese billiards will be promoted abroad as soon as possible through the hosting of the tournament. Therefore, the US tournament will be a matter of course.
Wang Tao also told reporters that China’s billiards population is conservatively estimated at 60 million, and 40 million are playing Chinese billiards, extending a huge industrial gold mine, including tables, cues and so on. The holding of overseas qualification matches made all domestic billiard manufacturers feel that Chinese-style tables can well go abroad and increase the international sales of Chinese-style tables.
