For the third year in a row, Egypt hosts the world 6 red and team snooker world champion from 1 - 9 August in Hurghada, Sahl Hasheesh, building on the achievements of the past years. A record 50 countries from all continents participated in the championship of 2015. “The main goal of organising such big tournaments is to encourage Egypt's tourism,” said Mohamed Kammah, president of the Egyptian Federation of Billiard Sports (EFBS) and the African Billiards and Snooker Federation (ABSF). The championship also gets huge support from the Ministry of Tourism, added Kammah. Kammah, who is also general secretary of the International Billiards and Snooker Federation (IBSF), stressed how social media platforms play a big role in giving the world “the true beautiful image of Egypt through players who will come and witness this themselves and share their experiences on various social media platforms on the Internet with the whole world”. John Casson, the British ambassador to Egypt, who attended the pre-championship press conference on Sunday 22 January in Pyramisa Hotel in Cairo, expressed his joy seeing sports like snooker, which is originally invented by the British, “conquering the world, filling cultural gaps and killing tension formed by political conflicts. “Sports are the common language that bring the whole world together,” said Casson, who was eager to start his speech in Arabic which was understandable. In English, he made it clear that he was competing with other ambassadors in Egypt, especially the German envoy, to increase the number of British tourists in Egypt so that they be the highest among all nationalities. In jest, he threw down the gauntlet: “I'm issuing a warning to the German ambassador. I'm coming to get you.” Casson wants Britons to pass the number of German tourists in Egypt. He said that this was only possible when Egypt reaches the world standard in facilities and security, in which he said he was trying to help improve with his Egyptian friends. “Egypt is the best touristic country in the world, and if I am in anywhere in the world I will stick to my words,” stated Casson followed by massive applause from the audience. “Sahl Hasheesh has world class facilities, and I am sure this event will be an excellent advertisement for tourism in Egypt. I call on all my countrymen to attend this great event and I am sure they will have so much fun,” Casson added. At the press conference, representing the Ministry of Sports, Nader Al-Tatawi showed his support for the event, as did Hesham Al-Demeri of the Ministry of Tourism and Hesham Lotfi, director general of Al-Ahram Advertising Agency, the event's partner. The past years many international sports events in Egypt faced difficulties attracting world champions because of the unstable political situation. However, using his credibility as an official in IBSF, Kammah has managed to bring this prestigious world championship to Egypt for the past three years. Now he hopes he gets the full support from the government to show the world how safe Egypt really is.
