JEDDAH: Saudi women could have their own snooker competition.
Prince Khaled ibn Mansour ibn Jalawi Al-Saoud, chairman of the organizing committee for the game’s first GCC championship in Jeddah, refused to rule out the possibility of organizing a special tournament. World champions and contestants from the GCC and other Arab countries will participate in the championship, which is expected to be attended by over 100,000 spectators and watched by more than five million people worldwide.
Prince Khaled said the organizing committee had signed a pact with Eurosport to broadcast the championship live on more than 75 sports channels. “This championship is evidence of the sporting position of Saudi Arabia in the world.”
Snooker was born in the 1880’s and spread in the world during the 20th century. The International Snooker Federation was established in 1923. Arab countries that play snooker include Egypt, the UAE, Iraq, Bahrain and the Kingdom.
“Snooker has become a popular game in Saudi Arabia with many youths playing it. We now have many champions. Our sports clubs are installing special snooker rooms and have organized a number of local competitions,” he said.
