By: Taarek Refaat
CAIRO, Dec. 20 (SEE)- The spread of video games and social media caught athlete's attention away from the cue sport. International coaching and training camps are two efficient methods to win world championships.
Snooker Champion Waleed Hamdy said in an exclusive interview with SEE that reaching a world ranking requires the spread of the cue sport.
"Earlier, we would find billiard tables and private cue clubs that attracted players in almost every street in Egypt," Hamdy said, adding that for an athlete to be a world champion, necessary support is required including international coaching and training camps in foreign countries, a plan that is currently being adopted by gulf athletes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9olbKk59wqc&t=77s
Champion Mohamed Essam said that arriving at top spots demands a lot of assistance, including funding as well as 8-10 hours of daily training.
Essam noted that the sport gained distinguished recognition all over the world. "Each year, up to 30 international championships are organized," he added.
"We have a lot of talented players in Egypt, more skilled than former ones, and with a little support, they can easily become world champions," Essam noted.
Egypt who has always been the Arab champion, is recently settling at the third or fourth spot.
Arab countries called for international coaching from England, which is the inventor of the game and provided foreign training camps for their athletes.
Hamdy was the 2015 African Masters Snooker Champion, while Essam won bronze in the 2016 IBSF World 6 Red.
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