The 49th National Snooker Championship began on Tuesday at the Snooker Arena, National Bank Sports Complex in Karachi. Defending champion Asjad Iqbal leads the 48-player field, vying for supremacy in Pakistan’s premier snooker tournament.
The National Snooker Championship was inaugurated by Pakistan Billiards and Snooker Association (PBSA) Chairman Alamgir Sheikh, alongside several prominent figures in Pakistan’s sports scene.
This year’s championship boasts a prize pool of Rs 525,000. The champion will walk away with Rs 200,000, while the runner-up will receive Rs 100,000. Semi-finalists and quarter-finalists will earn Rs 50,000 and Rs 25,000, respectively. Additionally, Rs 25,000 has been earmarked for the tournament’s highest break, adding an extra layer of competition.
The championship’s format includes 48 players split into eight groups, with the top two advancing to the pre-quarterfinal stage. Including five junior champions, who received direct entries, highlights the growing pool of young talent in Pakistan’s snooker scene.
Addressing the media, Sheikh highlighted efforts to secure long-overdue government support for national snooker players. “We are claiming Rs 30 million for three-time World Champion Muhammad Asif and Rs 10 million for Ahsan Ramzan under the Cash Award Sports Policy. Additionally, we aim to retrieve international medal rewards from 2019-2020 to fund upcoming ranking tournaments,” Sheikh revealed.
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