3-Cushion
ATHENS - The World championship three-cushion in Peru, from July 12 to 16, will loose another great player on the list of participants after Jef Philipoom refused to play in Lima. Filipos Kasidokostas, the world champion of 2009 in Lausanne, also has cancelled his participation, because he has to pay for the flight and the hotel himself.
The Greek federation is in big financial distress and can not contribute to the trip and the hotel expenses. Kasidokostas was seeded as sixth for the tournament. The Belgian Jef Philipoom already decided on Monday night that he would'nt play for his country on the Worlds.
The 28-year-old Kasidokostas, who is a professional billiard player, has to live from the money he earns in his sport. He also has passed the deadline for the World championship, because there is not any chance that he will be payed for the trip. He has to be the third at least in the championship to get his money back. Nikos Polychronopoulos, the second Greek who is seeded, will travel on his own expense. He has a bar and restaurant in Athens, so he has other eIt's a maarnings for living.
The sporting situation in Greece suffers the severe economic crisis in the country. Alexander Balomenos, president of the national billiard federation, expresses his deep concern about the future of his sport. ,,The clubs that we have and which are members can not pay the fee, many clubs have closed their doors and there will be many to follow'', he says. ,,It is a matter of survival for everybody. I have paid the fee for the European federation out of my own pocket, together with George Sakkas and a few friends, but we can not continue doing like that.''
The sport is not the biggest concern. Balomenos: ,,It is very hard for the entire Greek society what happens here. Maybe we like billiards and we think it's terrible what happens with Filipos, but look at the older people in Greece, who are deducted with 40% n their pensions. For those people it is almost impossible to survive.''
The Greek president also points a finger at the international billiard federations. ,,Filipos Kasidokostas was world champion in 2009, the prize was 5000 euros. That's only slightly more what he must pay for the trip and the hotel for the World championship in Lima. The prize money in billiard is ridiculously low, we cannot stop concluding that.''