Hanoi billiards federation fires back at international ban on Vietnamese players

ACBS sent a document on June 8 to its member federations, including Vietnam, regarding penalties for players or federations that participated in events not licensed by ACBS, and the decision was received by Hanoi’ Department of Physical Education and Sports on July 13.

Vietnam was punished for having organized a tournament not licensed by ACBS, the Hanoi Open, in October 2023. This pool tournament was allowed by the Hanoi Department of Culture and Sports to take place, under the World Nineball Tour (WNT) system of Matchroom Pool.

HBSF sent a document to the Hanoi Department of Culture and Sports on Wednesday, saying that “there is no legal basis under Vietnamese law or Olympic charter regulations allowing ACBS to ban Vietnamese players from participating in international competitions under the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) or SEA Games.”

The federation said ACBS regulations only prohibit their member federations from organizing unlicensed competitions. Federations that are not part of ACBS will not be banned. The Vietnam Billiards & Snooker Federation (VBSF) is a member of ACBS, but the HBSF is not a member of ACBS. VBSF does not organize the Hanoi Open or PBA Hanoi Tour, as they are conducted by HBSF.

The Hanoi Open is a 9-ball pool tournament co-organized by U.K. company sporting event promotions Matchroom in October 2023 and HBSF got the license for the event from Hanoi Department of Culture and Sports, although ACBS did not recognize this tournament. ACBS warned VBSF, claiming that “a Hanoi branch of VBSF” had organized this tournament, which went against regulations. However, HBSF affirmed that they are not a member of VBSF.

Vietnam number one billiards player Tran Quyet Chien. Photo by VnExpress/Duc Dong

HBSF also argued that “decisions to sanction sports organizations according to the IOC, OCA or SEA Games regulations must be implemented on each team and each individual based on specific grounds. It is impossible to sanction all athletes without specific grounds for their violations.”

The PBA Tour is a three-cushion tournament that has taken place in South Korea with many stages in a year since 2019, not recognized by the World Billiards Federation (UMB). However, ACBS has not issued any notice or sanction against the Korea Billiards Federation (KBF), although they are also members of ACBS like VBSF.

Tournaments under the World Nineball Tour (WNT) have also taken place in many countries in 2024, such as England, Germany, the U.S., China and Philippines, but the billiards federations of these countries have not been sanctioned. Of which, China and Philippines are also members of ACBS.

“This shows that ACBS’s action interferes with the organization of the PBA Hanoi Tour without authority,” HBSF added. “ACBS even banned Vietnamese players from participating in international tournaments, which is without legal basis, unfair and intentional.”

HBSF was established in 2018, currently chaired by Nguyen Ngoc Ha. They operate separately from VBSF, but ACBS claimed they are a branch of VBSF.

VBSF issued a press release about ACBS’s ban on Tuesday.

“All officials and athletes of VBSF are not allowed to participate in or organize any tournaments or events related to billiards and snooker in Asia and internationally, including Asian sports events such as Indoor Games and SEA Games, from June 13, 2024 to Jan. 12, 2025,” the release said.

VBSF said it has repeatedly recommended and warned the Hanoi Department of Culture and Sports, Department of Physical Training and Sports, and HBSF but the Hanoi Open still took place.

The Hanoi Open, part of the WNT system, has taken place since 2023, run by Matchroom, operating as a professional and independent billiards federation and not related to the WPA or ACBS. WNT has signed contracts with most of the top pool players in Vietnam and the world, to organize nine-ball tournaments all year round, with prize money much higher than WPA. The tournament will continue to be held in October 2024, despite the objections of ACBS.

Following the VBSF announcement, Matchroom said they were “disappointed but not surprised” that ACBS banned Vietnamese players this year after they threatened to do so last year.

“ACBS’s action shows their disregard for promoting the development of billiards,” Matchroom’s statement said. “Instead, they have sabotaged a tournament that has been a huge success and widely popular.”

Matchroom said they are working with their legal department and partners to discuss immediate action with ACBS, and the 2024 Hanoi Open Pool Championship will still take place as planned.

According to VBSF on Tuesday, UMB president Farouk Barki said that the 2024 World Championship taking place in Binh Thuan Province is not affected by the ban, so it will still take place as scheduled, from Sept. 25 to 29. Therefore, the world’s top carom players such as Tran Quyet Chien or Bao Phuong Vinh will still be able to participate in the tournament under UMB.