SNOOKER – A 15-PLAYER squad will be flying the kingdom’s flag in the IBSF World Snooker Championships 2025, which is set to get underway tomorrow at Crowne Plaza Bahrain.
The prestigious event is to be held under the patronage of Supreme Council for Youth and Sports first deputy chairman, General Sports Authority chairman, and Bahrain Olympic Committee president Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa.
It will feature an impressive field of nearly 150 of snooker’s elite, representing 24 countries and battling it out in four categories, including the under-17 men, under-21 men, men’s six-red, and masters.
“It is a great honour for us to host this event under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Khalid,” said a spokesperson for the Bahrain Billiard Sports and Darts Federation (BBSDF).
“With the support of our partners and the participation of world-class players, Bahrain will witness a cue-sport celebration like never before.”
The Bahrain contingent is to be spearheaded by Habib Sabah, who in the 2023 worlds in Doha, Qatar, won both the Masters singles world title and then teamed up with fellow-Bahraini Hisham Al Saqr to secure the Masters teams’ crown.
Sabah will once again be playing in the competition’s Masters category, along with five other countrymen in Majed Dhaif, Punait Saqer, Mohamed Alshaikh, Hamed Dhaif, and Jaafar Alraees.
They will be going up against a star-studded cast in this over-40 division. According to the International Billiards and Snooker Federation (IBSF), others taking part are three-time world snooker champion Muhammad Asif of Pakistan, Saleh Mohammad of Afghanistan, and Darren Morgan of Wales, among others. Formidable contenders from Qatar, Ireland, Sri Lanka, Iraq, and the UAE are also in the fray, setting the stage for a high-stakes contest of legends.
Bahrain will also be going for gold in the worlds’ three other classes.
Sabah, Saqer, Alraees, Alshaikh, Abdulla Alaali, and Khalil Busaif will also be competing in the fast-paced men’s six-red.
Meanwhile, representing the kingdom in the men’s under-17 category are Faisal Albasri, Faisal Almaliki, and Hussain Aqeel, while Almaliki and Aqeel will also be playing in the under-21 division along with Bahrainis Mahmood Ahmed, Salem Alazri, Abdulla Mohammed, Abdulla Alhalwaki, and Alaali. They will be up against rising stars from around the world, who all ensure a bright future for snooker.
The IBSF World Snooker Championships 2025 is set to offer more than $30,000 in total prize money. Winners, runners-up, semi-finalists, quarter-finalists will be taking home prizes, while high breaks.
patrick@gdnmedia.bh
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