Vietnam Billiards Fined: Unreasonable Ban Must Be Lifted

The banning of Vietnamese billiards athletes and many Asian players from international tournaments is causing great indignation. In response to strong protests and calls to boycott tournaments under the World Pool Association (WPA), the organization has invited leading players to an online dialogue, scheduled for this week.

Where does the conflict come from?

The World Pool Association (WPA), a division of the World Confederation of Billiards for Sport (WCBS), governs the pool billiards categories such as 8-ball, 9-ball and 10-ball. In 2019, the WPA sold the rights to organize 9-ball tournaments to the UK-based Matchroom Company. In 2023, Matchroom launched the World Nineball Tour (WNT) system with many tournaments with large prize money, and signed professional contracts with many of the top pool players. Players who have signed contracts with the WNT will still be able to compete in WPA tournaments.

Duong Quoc Hoang and other Vietnamese pool players are the ones most affected by the ACBS ban.

NVCC

But surprisingly, the Hanoi Open Pool Championship (under the WNT) taking place in October 2023 in Hanoi has caused a conflict between the WPA and Matchroom. The tournament in Hanoi is scheduled to continue in October 2024, further increasing the tension between the two sides. Because the Hanoi Open Pool Championship is held at the same time as the Qatar Open (under the WPA), the WPA is unhappy and has threatened the players participating in the tournament in Hanoi.

Prohibition against violating Vietnamese law

The Asian Billiards Sports Federation (ACBS - the governing body of all billiards genres in the continent, with a Qatari president, affiliated with WPA and WCBS, recognized by the Olympic Committee of Asia), recently issued a ban on Vietnamese billiards. In July 2024, the Vietnam Billiards & Snooker Federation (VBSF) received a notice from ACBS, with shocking content: all officials, athletes, and coaches of VBSF are banned from attending, participating in or organizing any events, tournaments or activities related to billiards in Asia and internationally for 6 months (from June 13, 2024 to January 12, 2025), including the Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games in November 2024 in Thailand. The reason for the penalty is that Vietnam organized a tournament not licensed by ACBS, the Hanoi Open Pool Championship 2023, and also planned to continue organizing this tournament in 2024. To be more specific, the Hanoi Open Pool Championship is a tournament not managed by VBSF, but is licensed to be organized by the Hanoi Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

Ma Minh Cam, Vietnamese player participates in PBA

Regarding this issue, Thanh Nien Newspaper consulted a lawyer and received analysis based on the provisions of current Vietnamese law. Accordingly, the Law on Physical Training and Sports amended and supplemented in 2018, Article 1, Clause 5 clearly states: People's Committees at all levels decide to organize mass sports competitions in their localities. This lawyer further analyzed: "In Vietnam, sports federations are professional social organizations established and operating in accordance with the provisions of current Vietnamese law. Sports federations have the rights and responsibilities prescribed by law and by the approved charter, and if a sports federation participates in international sports organizations, only the activities carried out by the federation will be subject to the management of these sports organizations". Therefore, it can be reaffirmed that the Hanoi Open Pool Championship being licensed by the Hanoi Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism is completely within its authority. VBSF has no right or responsibility to license international mass tournaments of the nature and content of the Hanoi Open Pool Championship, so ACBS/WPA has no basis to issue a ban on VBSF.

Hanoi Open Pool Championship is a tournament that creates a buzz because of its scale of organization.

In addition, the penalty from ACBS is not convincing in the following way: why did only Vietnamese billiards receive the ban? Many tournaments similar to Hanoi Open Pool Championship are held in many places around the world (all under WNT), but WPA did not issue a ban. For example, the Rasson Lushan Open that just took place in China in July, or the Reyes Cup that will start in the Philippines next October were also not licensed by ACBS, but there was no written notice or ban imposed on the Chinese and Philippine Billiards Federations.

The players reacted violently.

Many of the world's top pool players have reacted strongly to the ACBS ban. Jayson Shaw (UK), Shane Van Boening (USA), Francisco Sanchez Ruiz (Spain), Fedor Gorst (Russia) and Joshua Filler (Germany) expressed their disagreement with the decision of the WPA and ACBS. These players emphasized that the ACBS and WPA bans not only harm individuals but also threaten the development and integrity of billiards. The group of top players shared the message: "Every player has the right to choose where to compete, demonstrate their skills and provide for their families without fear of unfair penalties. In solidarity with our colleagues, we have decided not to participate in any WPA/ACBS events until the end of 2024, unless the bans are lifted. If you ban one, ban us all. Let the players play!"

WPA 's latest move

In the face of strong opposition, the WPA has recently taken steps to ease tensions by inviting top players to an online dialogue. A few days ago, the WPA announced on its official fanpage: "In response to recent concerns raised by players on social media, the WPA has proposed holding online meetings with players. This is an opportunity for us to share more about the unsanctioned tournaments." WPA President Ishaun Singh added: "I am glad that the players have spoken out. We look forward to further discussions with them. We appreciate the players who have spoken out in the past. We look forward to discussing the unsanctioned tournaments with them." The dialogue is expected to take place this week.

PBA speaks out As planned, in addition to the Hanoi Open Pool Championship in October 2024, Hanoi will also host the PBA Hanoi Open in August. The PBA Hanoi Open is a tournament of the Korean Professional Billiards Association (PBA). This tournament has been licensed by the Hanoi Department of Culture and Sports. PBA raised many arguments about the absurdity of the document on the ban from ACBS. According to PBA, ACBS only applies its rules to registered members. The Hanoi Department of Culture and Sports, the Hanoi Billiards & Snooker Federation (HBSF), WNT and PBA are not members of ACBS. Therefore, ACBS has no authority, and of course no right to impose any penalties on organizations that are not its members.

"Vietnamese players need to be respected by ACBS" Pool player Duong Quoc Hoang (nickname Hoang Sao) feels confused and frustrated by the ban from ACBS. Vietnam's top pool player said that the unclear penalty caused him and many other athletes a lot of trouble, causing great damage both mentally and financially. He shared: "In early 2024, I received information from ACBS that I would have a place in the 10-ball world championship in the US. I immediately prepared for this tour. However, as soon as I bought the plane ticket, ACBS informed me that I was cut off due to violations when participating in the Chinese Taipei Open (part of the Matchroom system and not licensed by ACBS). But what's even more absurd is that a number of other players in the world (including other Asian players) who also participated in the Chinese Taipei Open were not cut off from the 10-ball world championship." Hoang Sao hopes that organizations will become truly professional and work properly on the basis of a common goal, with the mission of developing billiards. This player firmly affirms that he wants to participate in every tournament. "All bans need to be lifted as soon as possible. Vietnamese Billiards and Vietnamese players need to be respected and treated fairly," he expressed.

Thanhnien.vn

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/billiards-viet-nam-bi-phat-lenh-cam-vo-ly-phai-duoc-go-bo-185240818215608347.htm