Why are Vietnamese billiards teams banned from competing in Asia and internationally?

The Asian Billiards Federation (ACBS) has imposed heavy penalties on Vietnamese billiards and snooker, seriously impacting the future of many Vietnamese athletes.

Bao Phuong Vinh will be affected if the ban is extended to a global scale - Photo: D.K.

On July 13th, the Vietnam Billiards & Snooker Federation received a document from ACBS. ACBS banned Vietnamese officials, athletes, and coaches from participating in Asian and international activities and tournaments for six months, from June 13th, 2024 to January 12th, 2025. With this decision, Vietnamese billiards players will not be allowed to participate in the 6th Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games (AIMAG 6) in Thailand this November. Vietnam will also not be allowed to host the World Individual 3-Cushion Carom Billiards Championship in Binh Thuan in September and will likely not be able to participate in the World Cup in South Korea. The reason for this heavy penalty from ACBS is Vietnam's unauthorized organization of several billiards tournaments in Hanoi, despite repeated warnings. This ban, if extended to world tournaments, would significantly impact top Vietnamese players such as Tran Quyet Chien and Bao Phuong Vinh. The ACBS document clearly states: "Officials, athletes, and managers of the Vietnam Billiards & Snooker Federation (VBSF) are prohibited from participating in or organizing any activities, tournaments, or events related to billiards in Asia, internationally, and at Asian Games." The Vietnam Billiards & Snooker Federation (VBSF) is recognized by the Vietnam Olympic Committee as the sole governing body for billiards and snooker in Vietnam. The World Billiards Association (UMB) is the sole governing body for carom billiards worldwide, under the recognition of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). On September 7, 2022, UMB and VBSF signed a memorandum of agreement on coordinating and developing carom billiards in Vietnam through international tournaments and other activities. Recently, UMB sent a letter to VBSF warning that tournaments not affiliated with the UMB system, if held in Vietnam, could negatively impact the stability of cooperation and the development of carom billiards in the country. In April of this year, Vietnamese player Tran Quyet Chien topped the world 3-cushion carom rankings after the Ankara World Cup 2024 concluded. This marks the first time in history that a Vietnamese player has reached the top of both world rankings.

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Source: https://tuoitre.vn/billiards-viet-nam-bi-cam-thi-dau-o-chau-a-va-quoc-te-vi-sao-20240730094831316.htm