World Snooker C`ship from Nov 14 in Hyderabad

New Delhi: Reigning world champion PankajAdvani and veteran Geet Sethi will be among the 200 cueists vying for the top honours at the World Snooker Championship to be held from November 14 to 29 in Hyderabad. Dubbed as the Olympics of Snooker, the mega-event will also see other top Indians like Saurav Kothari, Rupesh Shah, Yasin Merchant, Manan Chandra, Devendra Joshi and Aditya Mehta in action. India`s women`s challenge will be spearheaded by two-time quarterfinalist Vidya Pillai and Anuja Chandra at the sprawling Hyderabad International Convention Centre. Unveiling the official logo of the tournament at a function here today, Billiards and Snooker Federation of India President Capt PVK Mohan said, "We had started planning for the event one and a half years back and at the bidding in Australia, beat the likes of England, China and Australia to bring it here." "We have organised a series of world class events every year since 2003, but with the world snooker championship in India, we have achieved a milestone," Capt Mohan said. For the first time the Championship will be covered live on television on each of the 16 days. ESPN/Star sports will take on the coverage live from pre-quarterfinals and Eurosports will take care of delayed telecast. "To make the event glamorous, we will have many roadshows and fashion shows during the event to raise its profile. It will also be the first time that women referees will officiate during the event and as many as eight lady referees have already sent their confirmation," he said. In keeping with IBSF rules, 20 international referees are being invited to officiate during the event. There will be 20 match tables along with six tables for practice matches. Each table will have individual scoreboard and equipped with latest technology for live coverage. World Professional Billiards champion Pankaj Advani said, "I`ll put my best foot forward and try to regain the title, I won at Jiangmen in China in October 2003." Geet Sethi, runner-up in the masters division last year, said, "event would go a long way to show the world that India can hold competitions of this stature." Bureau Report