Pakistan Billiards and Snooker Association (PBSA) confirmed on Friday that the Indian team has been granted visas and they may be flying in here on Saturday for taking part in Jubilee Insurance 7-nation International Snooker Championship being staged at a hotel from March 4 to 9.
"Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi has issued visas to Yasin Merchant and Faisal Khan and they may be reaching Karachi on Saturday (today)," PBSA President Alamgir Shaikh said on Friday. "Securing the visas of Indian team is big boost because Yasin Merchant is a former Asian champion and had played here on many occasions in the past," he said.
The main attraction of the competition will be of reigning IBSF World Champion Hussein Vafaei Ayouri. Iranian snooker sensation Vafaei defeated Wales Lee Walker in the final of the IBSF World Snooker Championship held in Bangalore, India last December.
The 17-year-old Vafaei beat Walker 10-9 in the best of 19 frames final after a 10-hour battle. The event will carry US $3100 prizes. The winner of the championship will be getting a purse of US $2,000 while the runner-up will be receiving US $1,000 and the highest break carries a cash award of US $100.
He said preparations of draws will start on Saturday and the event will explode into action from Sunday noon. Thailand team is reaching here in the wee hours of Saturday while teams from Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, United Arab Emirates will be reaching here early Sunday morning.
The matches of the event will be played on four tables and it will be played in two sessions. "There will be no formal opening ceremony and matches as per regulations," he said. After international boxing and Chinese hockey team's visit it will be the third international sporting activity being staged here.
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