Kenya Pool Team selection exercise kicks off
Experienced pool table player Cyrus Maina has called on Kenyan youths to embrace the game and enroll for various competitions, demystifying the myth that the game is a time wasting technique and the discipline itself is a bar game.
Maina has been playing pool since 1998 and has represented the country in many competitions including in the All Africa Pool Championship in Zambia in 2022.
Pool is one of the cue sports recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
“I want the players to come on board so that we can nurture the talent. It is good to learn from the elite players. Kenya has so many potential players only that they don’t have the exposure. Once requires a lot of practice and calmness so that they can focus on the game,” said Maina
“It might be a bar thing but if you play it to a higher level then you will see it as any other sport,” he added.
On May 18, 2023, Kenya Pool and Billiard Federation in partnership with Hallo-Pay Limited launched the process of Kenya Pool National Team Selection for the All Africa Pool Games which will be held in South Africa in October 2023.
The event was held at PINS Entertainment Sarit Center with its theme being ‘Pooling for Mental Health’. Five men and five women who will triumph in the finals will get a ticket to represent Kenya in the continental showpiece.
The registered individuals will pay Sh 500 and another Sh1000 for playing venues and the fight to represent the country will start from the sub county, county and national levels. The lady event however will be held at the national stage.
According to KPBF Tournament Director Morgan Mutua asked the government to recognize pool as a professional sport in Kenya which has immense benefits to individuals.
“The motto we have is pooling for mental health. It is a game which enhances your concentration and requires an incredible amount of Hand-Eye coordination. Our player David Mbuthia went to China and learned a lot the same as me who has represented Kenya before,” he said.
“We are taking steps to ensure the game is no longer perceived negatively as it is now. We have the BLCB licence and anybody can register venues for playing pool. It is within the law,” he added.
Hallo-Pay who are partnering with KPBF to sponsor the event asserted that the pool is an avenue for youths to relieve themselves.
“We are one of the sponsors and we have come through because it is a good game. The narrative that pool is for those who are drinking in bars is false,” said General Manager Skill well advertising Rahab Watere.
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