WPBSA Chairman Jason Ferguson delighted to have Hossein Vafaei on board
Iranian potter Hossein Vafaei performed brilliantly in the final encounter of the 2011 International Billiards and Snooker Federation (IBSF) Amateur Snooker Championship against Lee Walker and earned a place in the professional circuit next season. He is
the first Iranian cueman who had made his way into the pro tour with his classy form in the amateur course.
The world snooker governing body, World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) chairman, Jason Ferguson is quite excited to have him on board and believes that Vafaei’s presence will boost the spirit of the game and will improve his form
after he plays among the top players of the sport.
Speaking to World Snooker, Ferguson said, “We're absolutely delighted to see an Iranian player on the professional tour for the first time. Snooker is growing globally like never before and we are keen to see the sport develop in every country and for gifted
players to come through.”
The chief added, “We have recently announced a new qualifying criteria for the main tour with more places allocated for international players. By providing more opportunities for countries where snooker is growing, we can accelerate the development of snooker
worldwide.”
Vafaei is quite happy to be a part of the pro season. The young Iranian feels proud to qualify for the next season and says that he is fulfilling his father’s dream. He added that snooker is the second most popular sport in Iran after football. They have
over 1,000 clubs and many young potters are coming into the game and showing their talent to the nation.
The next season will commence with the Players Tour Championship (PTC) Event 1. Currently the top potters of the game are participating in the 2012 World Snooker Championship. Vafaei is also looking to improve his ranking and hit the top 64 so that he can
participate in the World Snooker Championship some day. He has got a golden chance to fulfil his dream as he will take part in the qualifying session of all major ranking snooker tournaments of the next season. It will be interesting to see how well Vafaei
manages to perform during the tournament.
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