Qualifying for the four remaining slots in the second 8-Ball World Classic Pool Championships, to be held in Fujairah next month, will commence next weekend at the Dubai Snooker Club.
Played over four rounds, the qualifiers will determine the four UAE players who will join the emirates leading eight players in the 32-player main competition.
The eight players have qualified directly on the basis of their performance in the national ranking tournaments.
The Middle East qualifiers, featuring 128 players, will be held at Liwa Billiards hall in Abu Dhabi from September 10-20.
The top four players will qualify for the main draw.
Players from the rest of the world gain qualification through the regional championships.
"They are professionals and we expect the Middle East to reach that level in the future," remarked Ahmad Ebrahim, the promoter of the World Championships.
Last years event was won by Filipino world champion Efren Bata Reyes, who beat his countryman Francisco Bustamante 13-4 in the final.
Last years field included WPA world champion Thorsten Hohmann of Germany and six-time world champion Earl Strickland of the US.
The World Classic Pool Championships will be held under the patronage of Shaikh Saleh Bin Mohammad Al Sharqi, chairman of the Department of Industry and Economy.
Gulf News
