Carom
BLANKENBERGE - The first weeks of the new year are traditionally reserved in Belgian billiards for the Belgian championships in all disciplines. The casino in Blankenberge, facing the wonderful Belgian coast, was filled every year with enthusiast billiard fans from home and abroad to cheer for Caudron, Merckx, Forthomme, Leppens, Niesen, de Ceulemans top guns and all the other Belgian top billiard players. The Multi championship, as it is popularly called, unfortunately also has to give up and cancel due to the Corona crisis this year. The Belgian federation today announced that the tournament will be cancelled.
The Dutch three cushion championship, the Masters, was removed from the calendar earlier this week and moved to a later date. The Belgian federation could not wait with the decision any further. The tournament was scheduled from 10 to 17 January 2021. The consequences are not yet foreseeable and have to do with the developments of the COVID-19 virus. The Belgian chairman Benny van Goethem made the following announcement on behalf of his federation:
Given the measures taken by the federal government last Friday 30/10, given the current situation and the equally uncertain near future after 15/12, given the many qualifications still to be played for this Multi's and given the many unanswered questions and not obtaining guarantees, the Belgian Board of Directors of the Blliards Federation is obliged NOT to organize the Multis Blankenberge in January 2021.
Of course we have to come up with solutions to allow these finals to take place in a different way when the health situation allows this. This decision is hard and hurtful, but we must act in the common interest of our members and our sponsors. Our biggest challenge now must be to work together to beat this pandemic and then return to our sport under the best possible conditions.
Keep it safe and healthy!
Benny Van Goethem