3-Cushion
SEOUL - The Dutch top billiard player Dick Jaspers has signed a lucrative contract in South Korea today. The 52-year-old player, who spectacularly improved the world record best match to 40 caroms in four 4 innings last weekend, has connected for the next four years to the Korean sponsor Carom Village, the importer of the French billiards brand Breton in Korea. Jaspers signed the contract together with the Korean star player Jae-Ho Cho.
Dick Jaspers is one of the top three players in the world and is triple world champion three cushion, four times European champion and former winner of the World Games. With his contract to Breton billards, Jaspers ends his engagement with Gabriel's billiards. ,,I could improve myself and have made that choice.''
For his new sponsor, Jaspers travels to South Korea four times per year to play exhibitions and promote the sponsor. ,,I want to make the Breton brand more famous in the world. Mr. Kyu Sik Kim is the director of Carom Village. He is well known in the Korean billiard world and has a billiards center in Yeiuido with fifteen Breton tables in the financial heart of Seoul.''
Mr. Kim wants to capture a part of the Korean market with his huge number of billiard clubs. In the capital city of Seoul, there is a billiard room with ten to fifteen match tables on every corner of the street. Jaspers: ,,For the time being, they don't think they will sell gigantic numbers of billiards, but a few hundred per year would be nice. Mr. Kim has a great reputation. There are currently 130 Breton tables in South Korea. He wants to expand that number.''
Breton Billards was founded in France in 1852 and is the most important brand in that country. Jaspers knows the Breton tables among others from the World championship three cushion in Rézé (1998), the World championships in Sankt Wendel (2006 and 2008) and the Agipi Masters in Strassbourg.
Jaspers, also sponsored by Longoni, Aura and Simonis, is in Seoul for eight days and plays exhibitions this week. The next big tournament of the Dutchman is the World championship for nation teams in Viersen from 22 to 25 February.
Dick Jaspers after he signed the 4-year contract with Carom Village
