Tibetannet

The Jianying Surpass Snooker Open of Lhasa, Tibet, concluded on Sunday.

Dechung, who is responsible for the Lhasa Jianying Surpass Billiards Club — the host of the game, said the activity was attended by 36 snooker players, divided into elite and social teams. The tournament was held between Feb 12 and 20, with 11 players winning awards.

"I liked billiards from an early age. That's why I now operate a billiards club and hosted the tournament," said Dechung, adding that it is a great opportunity to learn.

Norbu Dradul, who is responsible of the Tibet Dreamer Sports Culture Development Co Ltd, the tournament's co-organizer, said snooker and pool are popular in Lhasa.

"It's important to organize this kind of tournament or competition for people. They can improve and learn from each other," said Norbu Dradul.

"Actually I am big fan of snooker, I am trying my best, but I am not strong enough, though I am quite lucky that I am one of the top eight. But I really think it's a great exercise and a chance for me to get acquainted with a lot of people here.

"I think in the future, we would like to organize more games like this to make Lhasa a more interesting place, especially for the younger generation."

He Zhiwei, president of the Tibet Billiards Association, said the region has 400 billiards clubs. Lhasa has more than 100, and some 5,000 people are engaged in the business, he said.

"People of the region are very enthusiastic about billiards. We will cherish it as an opportunity," he said. "The regional government and the sports bureau also stress the development of the sport."

He added that more tournaments can be expected in the future.

Zhao Shiji, champion of the elite team, said he was pleased to win and thanked the organizers for providing such a good opportunity for communication and learning.

"I started playing billiards in college," he said. "I like Ronnie'O Sullivan, and Ding Junhui."