APBU Bans Players

Dr. Dissent

Best Doctor in Town
Silver Member
Dear WPA Board Members,

For your information, after the WPA meeting, APBU has the following new policy in place effective October 12th, 2005.


Best regards,
Spencer Shiau
APBU General Secretary
APBU - Asian Pocket Billiard Union


Impose/put a ban on a player for a specific period of time:

1. The followings apply to all players in Asia.

2. Player who participates in the tournament/event that is not sanctioned by both APBU and WPA, the player will be banned by the APBU for one year.

3. In the above situation, the ban will be effective from the first day of that tournament and will be for 365 days.

4. During the ban period, the player can not play in the APBU or WPA sanctioned tournament/event.

5. During the ban period, any nomination for this banned player by the national association is not valid. If the banned player is nominated, this nation will be treated as forefeit this quota spot.

6. The banned player's name and country will be made public in the annoucements, including APBU internet info site and notices.

7. Ban by APBU will be also notified to WPA World Pool-billiard Association. WPA and its other continental federations will support and follow through the same ban notice sent from APBU.
 
The APBU's main leverage is the San Miguel Asian Tour (Something they didn't want to sanction in the first place...because they weren't being offered enough money) and the World Pool Championships, which is basically a Barry Hearn Matchroom project.

They also have quite a bit of influence with local Taiwanene due to regular televised events there on Videoland run by Mr. Tu with reasonable sums in prize money.

ESPN could go it alone on the San Miguel Tour as they have previously threatened to do.

Barry Hearn may also go it alone if all the big names are withdrawn due to bans.

This could get ugly!
 
Can you guys expound on your statements of "weak" and "stupid"? I am sure everyone knows why you are saying these things and there are of course arguements for both sides. I figured a forum like this is to share information, not just call people names.
 
pillage6 said:
Can you guys expound on your statements of "weak" and "stupid"? I am sure everyone knows why you are saying these things and there are of course arguements for both sides. I figured a forum like this is to share information, not just call people names.


Hi,
I did not see any name calling by those posters so far,according to our American standards.The least one can say,to be labeled as name calling,as per our American standards are `` sum b%#*h or ``your mama dresses u funny and u are ugly`.He,he,he :cool:
 
Well, I can see the sanctioning issue from the WPA's perpsective but this is the first time I have ever seen a continental federation attempt to sanction tournaments on other continents. Since when do United States tournaments need Asian sanctioning. And furthermore, all the US tournaments don't get WPA sanctioning either and WPA players regularly play in them.

Here comes petty bullshit politics. Well screw them. I have never seen or heard of one cent of the sanctioning money that the WPA collects going to fund either larger tournaments or the promotion of billiards in the USA.

Has the WPA or the APBU ever tried to get ESPN to carry their tournaments in the USA? Are the Asian tours open to Americans like EVERY U.S. Tournament is open to all players of all nationalities?

This is really weak.

John
 
That's pretty asinine, and sounds like playground extortion towards both Trudeau and WPA's players...

"If you don't give us $150,000, you can't have our players."

"If you play on Kevin's tour, you're banned from ours."

Btw, Trudeau is already on the record saying he doesn't care what other tours the IPT players compete on. I hope Niels and others don't cave in to this strong-arming by the WPA.
 
What a slimy little shakedown try. Here's hoping the Asian players ignore this extortion attempt, play the IPT or wherever, and paint the APBU into a corner. When everybody's "banned" they'll rethink their position real quick.
 
pillage6 said:
Can you guys expound on your statements of "weak" and "stupid"? I am sure everyone knows why you are saying these things and there are of course arguements for both sides. I figured a forum like this is to share information, not just call people names.
Big dummies!

BTW- You tell 'em, Travis! YOu are a smart Bickle.
 
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Say for instance, all of the top Philipino players got together and said they were going to play on the IPT tour anyways. Would that be enough pressure on the APBU to back off? Or would they need all of the top oriental players as well? Just wondering.
 
Personally speaking, this "ban" enhances my horse's chances to advance in the IPT Tour. ;)

Speaking as a pool enthusiast with a passion for the game/sport, I think it stinks. :mad:

Pool politics has been the stumbling block for many a pool player yesterday, today, and, according to this recent announcement, tomorrow. :eek:

Pool players are caught in the middle. Those in authority are enjoying six-figure salaries, and yet they think it prudent to put a "ban" on the players of this game/sport if they compete in a $13-million-added IPT Tour. Whose interests are they looking out for? It ain't the players. :(

To play or not to play, that is a question some players must decide, thanks to the WPA and APBU. Gee, some Asian tours are restricted by nationality and ban Americans and European players, anyway. Yet, here in America, we open our tournaments to players of every creed, nationality, and color.

Long live the IPT, and bravo to Kevin Trudeau for making it happen. NEVER before has there been this kind of investment in the game/sport, and it is exactly the kickstart that has been sorely needed for many a year. I can't wait to get to Orlando and see it unfold. This is truly history in the making.

JAM
 
JAM said:
Personally speaking, this "ban" enhances my horse's chances to advance in the IPT Tour. ;)

Speaking as a pool enthusiast with a passion for the game/sport, I think it stinks. :mad:

Pool politics has been the stumbling block for many a pool player yesterday, today, and, according to this recent announcement, tomorrow. :eek:

Pool players are caught in the middle. Those in authority are enjoying six-figure salaries, and yet they think it prudent to put a "ban" on the players of this game/sport if they compete in a $13-million-added IPT Tour. Whose interests are they looking out for? It ain't the players. :(

To play or not to play, that is a question some players must decide, thanks to the WPA and APBU. Gee, some Asian tours are restricted by nationality and ban Americans and European players, anyway. Yet, here in America, we open our tournaments to players of every creed, nationality, and color.

Long live the IPT, and bravo to Kevin Trudeau for making it happen. NEVER before has there been this kind of investment in the game/sport, and it is exactly the kickstart that has been sorely needed for many a year. I can't wait to get to Orlando and see it unfold. This is truly history in the making.

JAM

TAP, TAP,TAP
 
Ok. So what happens when the IPT includes the Asian tour (or is it just a tourney...) in 2007? What will they do then? As much interest as this tour has sparked internationally, it's going to be worse when the include the international tours/tourneys. What are they thinking? :confused:

There is an IPT tourney every other month almost, which would still leave room for the big names to play at the WPA tourneys. And even if it didn't, if the big names are on the IPT tour, that means that it would open the doors for new talent to make their mark on that level of competition. Think about it. From a baseball standpoint, we have the majors and semi-pro (AAA, AA, etc.). Why can't they let it this thing go. :o

What I really don't like, is that they said that they'll publicly announce the person and the country they are representing as well. If you remember some years back with the World Cup, one player was killed by his country men for losing a pivital game. Now, I'm not saying it would go that far, but from what people tell me about Taiwan, pool is like there national past time, if not one of them. This not good at all. :mad: :(
 
Ban? Ban? Ban?

All smart players will think "FU** the ban -- I have a chance to make real money on the IPT.........let me see......on one hand I can appease the WPA/WPBU and be a good boy and not participate (i.e. not have a chance to earn any decent money) OR I could say to hell with the ban and participate on the IPT (and have a chance to earn LIFE CHANGING money)........hmmm what is one to do??????? :eek:
 
onepocketchump said:
I have never seen or heard of one cent of the sanctioning money that the WPA collects going to fund either larger tournaments or the promotion of billiards in the USA.


John


The sanctioning money the WPA collects goes straight into their tournaments. The WPA World Eight Ball Championships would be a good example.

I really don't expect this ban to last over the long term, as soon as the IPT proves that it is going to survive and be here to stay over the long term the top Asian players will see everyone else getting six figure paydays and jump ship telling the APBU where to go.
 
JAM said:
Personally speaking, this "ban" enhances my horse's chances to advance in the IPT Tour. ;)

Speaking as a pool enthusiast with a passion for the game/sport, I think it stinks. :mad:

Pool politics has been the stumbling block for many a pool player yesterday, today, and, according to this recent announcement, tomorrow. :eek:

Pool players are caught in the middle. Those in authority are enjoying six-figure salaries, and yet they think it prudent to put a "ban" on the players of this game/sport if they compete in a $13-million-added IPT Tour. Whose interests are they looking out for? It ain't the players. :(

To play or not to play, that is a question some players must decide, thanks to the WPA and APBU. Gee, some Asian tours are restricted by nationality and ban Americans and European players, anyway. Yet, here in America, we open our tournaments to players of every creed, nationality, and color.

Long live the IPT, and bravo to Kevin Trudeau for making it happen. NEVER before has there been this kind of investment in the game/sport, and it is exactly the kickstart that has been sorely needed for many a year. I can't wait to get to Orlando and see it unfold. This is truly history in the making.

JAM
Well said Jam!

Now imagine if the World Confederation of Billiard Sports, the committee that legitimises the WPA, being a member of the IOC had actually finagled its way into the Olympic Games. They would be much more than the toothless tiger they currently are and they would probably be able to put a stop to the IPT.

This is why purely Olympic sports are low money, dead sports and the example of their ban here is one of the reasons I have opposed the push for billiard sports into the olympics for some time. The others main ones being that they are non-profit, centralised bureacracies and politically influenced through government grants to their members. Not to mention monopolistic in the true sense of that word.

Good luck to your horse! I'm looking forward to meeting you both in Orlando :)
 
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I wonder who Dr. Dissent is - nice first post.

And the WPA is good for pool?

It seems to me that all they are doing is telling their top players, the ones who were selected by the IPT, to take a year's vacation from playing in WPA events and go play in the IPT. Where they have a chance to earn a $200,000 payday. In fact several of them.

Seems like an easy choice to me. But then I don't know anything about the WPA and how big their tournaments are. And I really don't care to learn about them either.

And how did the WPA arrive at that $150,000 figure? Sure sounds like extortion to me.

I agree with KT who in effect told them to go pound sand.

I think there are about 2,000 people who are hoping the Asians agree with the WPA and don't show up. Then they might be selected as their replacements.
 
No extortion.....

jjinfla said:
And how did the WPA arrive at that $150,000 figure? Sure sounds like extortion to me.

It is not extortion.

$150,000 is 5 percent of the 3 million dollars Kevin Trudeau promissed for one event. For each event, the 5% would be applied.

Normal sanctioning fees are 5 percent of the added money. Sometimes you see tournaments indicating $10,000 or $15,000 added money. For $10,000 the sanctioning fees would be $500; for $15,000 the fee is $ 750.00.

Barry Behrman (recent US Open Tournament) should have paid $3,600 sanctioning fee to the WPA. This amount (paid) based on the $72,000 added money because of the full field of 256 players.







.
 
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Easy to say, hard to do....

9_Ball_King said:
All smart players will think "FU** the ban

Easy to say than to do. APBU players will have to weigh the possible consequences. If they are making a good living with their regional tournaments and other world events, then they might think of not participating with the IPT. If on the other hand they cannot support themselves with their winnings, it may be wise to take a risk and play the IPT.
 
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