LOS ANGELES, Dec. 15 (Xinhua) -- The opening ceremony of the 2024 World Pool Association (WPA) Heyball Parasport World Championship was held in Los Angeles on Sunday night, the host city for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

A total of 128 male and 128 female players in each category are taking part in the six-day championship, which offered a total prize pool of 80,000 U.S. dollars.

The championship, sponsored by JOY Billiards, will feature male and female athletes with musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) to compete in two main categories: wheelchair athletes and standing athletes.

The WPA also noted on its official website that the tournament "would be a groundbreaking event celebrating the spirit of inclusivity and athletic excellence."

Jorgen Sandman, Secretary General of the WPA, said the event aimed to honor all people with disabilities around the world.

JOY Billiards' founder, Qiao Yuanxu, 72, hailed the disabled billiard players' strong spirits in his speech at the ceremony as well, noting they deserved a platform to showcase their strength and demonstrate the resilient vitality of humanity.

"You can taste the fruits of your efforts and gain joy and confidence by showcasing your strengths," Qiao said. "Heyball is precisely such a platform. We named this vibrant sport with a brand-new word, intending from the outset to allow its enthusiasts to enjoy the passion of competition and humanistic sentiment without any labels or attributes."

The WPA is recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and is actively working towards the inclusion of cue sports in the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Heyball, the brand name for the Chinese 8-ball pool, has taken the world by storm over the last couple of years with its combination of snooker with pool and promotion works from JOY Billiards, a table manufacturer in China and tour organizers.

In essence, Heyball's format is played on small-sized snooker tables with American pool balls (57mm). Naturally, this makes potting harder, but the game remains true to the 8-ball rule.

"Today's grand gathering aims to show the world that people of all ages and genders, with or without physical and mental disabilities, are showcasing the infinite charm of this sport in different ways and accelerating its journey to the Olympics!" Qiao said.

Leon Fleisher, the High-Performance General Manager at the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC), quoted Nelson Mandela's words in his speech.

"Sport has the power to change the world, it has the power to inspire, it has the power to unite people in a way that little else does. Sport can create hope where once there was only despair; it is more powerful than governments in breaking down racial barriers," he said. Enditem

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