Las Vegas, NV- Dragon Promotions is pleased to announce the 9th Annual Predator International 10-Ball Championship to be held at the Riviera Hotel & Casino on May 11-16, 2009. The BCA Pool League will play host to the event this year as the pro event will take place in conjunction with the BCAPL National 8-Ball Championships. This is the second straight year the event will be hosted by the BCAPL in Las Vegas and this year DP will be expanding the field from 96 players to 112.
"Predator Group and Dragon Promotions have been building this event up for years and we are really pleased at the level it has reached thus far. The players from around the world love this event and it's become one of the premier titles in the world to win. The BCAPL has also been an excellent host and partner in the event, and we look forward to even bigger and better things in the future", says Karim Belhaj, CEO of Predator Group.
112 players from around the world will converge once again in Predator Cues premiere event. Countries represented will include Germany, India, Sweden, England, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Philippines, Australia, Finland, Hong Kong, Norway, Pakistan, Mexico, Canada, Puerto Rico, Aruba, Curacao, Venezuela, Spain, Portugal, Russia, Austria, Hungary, Netherlands, Italy, Malta, and the USA. Last year's event had a full 96 players with more than two thirds of the field from foreign lands with 28 countries represented.
"We've had such a big turnout the past two years with the ninety six player field filling up so quickly. We have had fifty to sixty players waiting on the alternate list and this year has been no different. We also wanted to include more women in the field this year, so these factors led us to expand to 112 players. If we had the room and time we would do more, but that's something to think about for the future", said Cindy Lee, CEO of Dragon Promotions.
Defending Champion Tony Drago of Malta will return to retain his title this time against a field stacked with world class champions. This year's awesome line up include Dennis Orcullo (PHI), Johnny Archer (USA), Daryl Peach (ENG) , Mika Immonen (FIN), Ralf Souquet (GER), Rodney Morris (USA), Niels Feijen (NED), Raj Hundal (IND),Tony Robles (USA), Imran Majid (PAK), Hayato Hijikata (JPN), Mike Davis (USA), Manuel Gama (POR), Charlie Williams (USA), John Morra (CAN), Shane Van Boening and many more!
"The BCAPL is committed to our members and we want to put on the greatest pool show on Earth," says Mark Griffin, CEO of the BCA Pool League. "Each year we have brought the best players in the world and the nation's best amateurs under one roof, and that's a winning combination that we believe will never change."
Other top sponsors include Ozone Billiards, Diamond Billiard Products, and Simonis Cloth.
Fans can purchase tickets online at www.dragonpromotions.com for advances sales. There are only 40 VIP seats available. Any remaining tickets can be purchased on site at the tickets sales counter near the pro arena.
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, Jeanette Lee, 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
The BCA Pool League started in 1978 and today has nearly 60,000 members sanctioned through 444 leagues in 45 states and 6 foreign countries. The BCA National 8-Ball Championships brings together over 7,000 pool players on 240 Diamond Smart Tables for the ultimate test in amateur competition. With a total of 25 amateur and 3 pro events, every pool player in the world has a place to play during 9 days in May at the Riviera. www.playbca.com
