Following a decision formed by the World Pool-Billiard Association (WPA) at its General Assembly of last year, the first ever WPA World 9-Ball Championships for Seniors is underway. In the newly built CSKA Stadium for Basketball, Wrestling and Martial Arts in Moscow, the event has found a splendid venue. The total prize fund of 16.000 Dollar was however not high enough to attract the US professionals (they do have a professional Senior’s Tour in the States) this time around. Also some athletes from Africa, South America and Oceania were expected to participate, but due to whatever reasons they did not arrive. Instead this historical event has become a pure test between Taiwan, the most successful country in the world for the time being, and Europe. All 10 athletes qualifying for Asia are out of Taiwan, another proof of their dominating position. The National Federation of Billiards Sports of Russia (NFBSR) and the European Pocket Billiard Federation (EPBF) can proudly state that the whole event is organized under the most perfect conditions, a feeling that also is shared by the participating athletes.

The first day offered a total of only three rounds and no major upsets are to be reported about. The two European Champions, Sten Jarledal and Tony Fransson, both from Sweden, as well as the two Asian Champions, Wei-Chi Chen and I-The Sun, are all of them still in the tournament. However, both Taiwanese top athletes did lose their matches in the second round to fellow countrymen, but since this happened within the double elimination portion of the event, it turned out to be of minor importance. To the sadness of the otherwise cheering and interested home-crowd though, all three contestants from Russia did lose out of the event, and so did also Willie Ludwig from Germany, and the athletes Ting-Tung Chou and Ching-Hsien Huang from Taiwan.

Entering the second day of the competition only 16 athletes remains and it is to be expected that all of the matches will become much tighter, and especially also since the event now enters the single elimination portion.