Accordingly, the WPA ban was issued on October 17, with the players being banned for participating in the 2024 Hanoi Open without prior authorisation.

The 245 banned players are therefore prohibited from competing in events organised by their national and continental federations, as well as the WPA. These include national championships, Asian championships, world 8-ball and 10-ball tournaments, and other major regional events.

The WPA's list of banned players includes the majoirty of leading Vietnamese competitors, such as Do The Kien, Luong Duc Thien, Duong Quoc Hoang, and Dang Thanh Kien.

Several world-class players have also been banned, including Carlo Biado, Ko Pin-yi, Shane van Boening, Fedor Gorst, Francisco Sanchez Ruiz, David Alcaide, and Eklent Kaci.

To lift the suspension after six months, with the bans due to end in April, 2025, the players must pay a US$500 fine.

If they decline to pay this, then they will continue to be banned from competing in major regional events like the SEA Games or Asian Games as WPA and its member organisations administer billiards at the events.

This comes after local players already faced penalties from the Asian Confederation of Billiards Sports (ACBS) for participating in the 2023 Hanoi Open, which was not licensed by the ACBS.

VOV