Dennis Orcollo, Cindy Lee and Karim Belhaj
Manila, Philippines- Asia will be getting another huge event under its belt with the recent acquisition of the Predator International 10-Ball Championship. The 10th annual event is produced by Dragon Promotions and will take place at SM North Mall Edsa in Manila, Philippines on September 15-19,2010 right after the Predator Sweet Sixteen Tournament the day before. The Predator International 10-Ball Championship is the very first event The Predator Group had ever sponsored starting a decade ago and the oldest Dragon Promotions production.
"The Predator International Championship is the longest running Dragon Promotions event, and we can think of no place better than the Philippines to host it. The level on which Asia values the sport of billiards is higher than any other continent, and we feel this event belongs in that kind of environment", explained Dragon Promotions CEO Cindy Lee on the huge decision to move the event.
“This is a class event. It's one of the most well run and well organized events I've ever played in", said Tony Drago, a former winner of the event.
Over 30 countries is estimated to be represented at this year's event including Germany, India, Sweden, China, England, Japan, Vietnam, Korea, Taiwan, Philippines, Australia, Finland, Hong Kong, Norway, Pakistan, Mexico, Canada, Curacao, Venezuela, Spain, Portugal, Russia, Austria, Hungary, Netherlands, Italy, Malta, and the USA. Defending champion Dennis Orcullo of the Philippines will be one of the 96 world class pros from across the globe who will make their way to the far east to get a share of the $50,000+ prize fund. The event will take place over five days and will air live on ABS-CBN and re-broadcasted on Eurosport.
"The move to Asia is brilliant. The market is huge for us there and the event will attract even more people than when we hosted it in Las Vegas. Predator is committed to improvement on every level, and now thousands of fans will be able to watch it live in person and millions around the world through television. The players love this event and it has become a staple tournament in the pool world. We are proud to be able to continue this long tradition between the pro players and Predator", said Predator Group CEO Karim Belhaj.
Dragon Promotions will also be handling the production finalization of The Predator Sweet Sixteen, the continuation of the Predator Group's event from Spain earlier this year which was uncompleted due to traumatic weather conditions. The Sweet Sixteen event will be completed in the two days prior to the Predator International 10-Ball Championship, which Predator will be paying the flight and hotel costs for those sixteen players. Expenses paid and a chance to play in two big tournaments? A pretty sweet bonus for those qualified players.
" As a top pro player, being able to play in back to back events is a huge benefit. And the players love going to Asia to play! It's the one place where it's viewed as a real sport, and the pro players are treated like stars," explains top 5 USA ranked Charlie Williams, who also founded Dragon Promotions. Williams continues, " Looking back at the origins of the Predator International Championship, this thing started in a poolroom in Orlando ten years ago. Then it moved to Jacksonville where Predator headquarters is located. Then we moved it to Las Vegas. And now to a whole new world with global television and live broadcast. It's really amazing to see how huge this event has grown."
Fans and players who wish to attend the event can stay at the luxurious 4 star Crowne Plaza Hotel in the heart of Manila. The Crown Plaza Hotel is conveniently connected to the Robinson Mall full of restaurants, movie theatres and great shopping. Transportation will be provided daily to the venue. Dragon Promotions has blocked off a superb rate including the Crowne's award winning breakfast buffet daily and free internet. Rate is $79 per night reserve online http://tinyurl.com/DPevent
For fans and players attending The World Mixed Doubles on September 4-6 and all the Predator events, the rates are good for September 3 - September 20, 2010
Fans and players can find info online at www.dragonpromotions.com and www.predator10ball.com .
Predator Group, an international billiards industry leader, is focused on bringing constant innovation and game-improving equipment to billiards players worldwide. Headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, USA, Predator Group's core brands include Predator Cues – high-end (professional level) cues with revolutionary technology to enhance performance, Poison Billiards – recreational cues with cutting-edge designs and Predator engineering for best-in-class playability, and Uni-Loc® – precision billiards equipment manufacturer. For more information regarding Predator Group's products, visit www.predatorgroup.com.
Dragon Promotions is one of the leading producers of billiard programming in the world today. Dragon produces over 40 events a year airing on networks in the Philippines, USA, Korea, India, and Europe such as ESPN, MBC ESPN, XTM, XPORTS, ABS-CBN,ESPN STAR, and Euro Sport. Events include The Women's World 10-Ball Championship, The World 14.1 Championship, The Predator International 10-Ball Championship, King & Queen of Carom, Empress Cup, Pro Pool Schools, Women's Trickshot Challenge, World Junior 10-Ball Championships, Korea vs USA, and many more. Dragon also manages some of the world's best players including Mika Immonen, Shanelle Loraine, Mike Davis, Yu Ram Cha, Raj Hundal, , Rodney Morris, Charlie Williams, and many more.
Visit www.dragonpromotions.com or www.dragonpromotions.co.kr
