3-Cushion
CALI - Dozens of cameras were focused on Marco Zanetti, one of the top players in the world of three cushion. The Italian champion was welcomed as a world star for one day when he arrived in Cali, city of the World Games. At the airport he was greeted as a famous sports star, one of the top athletes who must color the global event.
The World Games in Cali, Colombia, with 3.000 athletes, will be opened tonight with a spectacular ceremony at the Pascual Guerrero stadium.
Sixteen three cushion players, of whom Eddy Merckx, the world champion, Dick Jaspers, Marco Zanetti, the European champion and Kyung Roul Kim, the Asian champion, are the most famous, will be launched from tomorrow (Friday) at the Games.
Marco Zanetti starts off the tournament on Friday at 11.00 (seven hours of time difference with Europe) against Minh Cam Ma, not to be confused with another Ma, Xuan Cuong, who is much higher in the world ranking. Mhin Cam, another Vietnamese, is the 170th player on the list with only sixteen points, which he received for his semi-final place in the Vietnam championship.
Shortly before the tournament there was a bit of commotion over the participation of one of the sixteen players: Javier Teran from Ecuador was even removed even from the start list. The reason was an internal fight in his homeland.
World Federation president Jean Claude Dupont explains: Teran was registered months ago to play for Ecuador. However, we are informed already one year ago about the internal problem in Ecuador. The Ecuadorian government has annulled all chosen boards from all sports and appointed people from the government.’’
The Ecuadorian Olympic Committee then announced a boycott for all athletes designated for international events. Dupont: ,,We were forced to remove Javier Teran from the list at one moment and replace him by a third Colombian player, Aristazabal.’’
Two days before the start of the World Games, there was an agreement for Teran to play.
Javier Teran is the opponent of Dick Jaspers in the first round of the tournament, which is played with sixteen players according to a knockout system to forty caroms.
The matches in three-cushion will be played one by one.
Marco Zanetti is divided into a schedule in which he (when he beats Ma) will meet the winner of the match Forthomme-Rudolph. Dick Jaspers plays, when he defeats Teran, against the winner of Hofman-Takeshima.
Zanetti and Kim are in the upper half of the schedule, Jaspers and Merckx in the bottom half.
The timetable and the matches:
Friday (26 July):
11.00: Marco Zanetti Minh Cam Ma
13.30: Roland Forthomme-Christian Rudolph
16.00: Murat Naci Coklu-Merlin Romero
18.30: Kyung-Roul Kim-Henry Diaz
Saturday:
11.00: Dick Jaspers-Javier Teran
13.30: Glenn Hoffman-O Takeshima
16.00: Sameh Sidhom-Carlos Campino
18.30: Eddy Merckx-Frank Taylor
Sunday:
11.00, 13.30, 16.00, 21.00: Quarter-finals.
Monday:
11.00, 13.30: Semifinals
16:00: match for third place
Tuesday:
13:00: Final
16:30: Ceremony.