Leading snooker players including Joe Perry, Nigel Bond and Dechawat Poomjaeng will be heading for Columbia later this month to compete in the World Games.
The event runs from July 25 to August 4 in Cali, Columbia, and it will feature snooker as a major sport, giving 16 players the chance to battle for a gold medal in a straight knock-out event.
The World Games is an international multi-sport event for sports that are not contested in the Olympic Games. It is organised and governed by the International World Games Association, under the patronage of the International Olympic Committee.
WPBSA Chairman Jason Ferguson said: "We are working very closely alongside the IBSF on developing snooker around the globe, and both bodies are delighted to send a total of 16 professional and amateur players from 13 countries to compete in this prestigious event.
"As we strive to strengthen our position as a World Sport it is vital that we earn our participation in such high calibre sporting events.
"Several sports previously in the World Games, such as triathlon, subsequently made it into the Olympics as participation in the World Games is used as a stepping stone towards the Olympic dream.
"Involvement in multi sports events like this is also vital to many National Governing Bodies around the globe who receive significant funding for their sports development.
"I would like to thank all of our athletes who are competing for medals in Cali as they carry our Billiard Sports flag in to another major sporting arena."
The players competing are:
Dechawat Poomjaeng (Thailand)
Hossein Vafaei Ayouri (Iran)
Nigel Bond (GB)
Joe Perry (GB)
Pankaj Advani (India)
Aditya Mehta (India)
Liang Wenbo (China)
Igor Figueiredo (Brazil)
Saleh Mohammed (Afghanistan)
Noppon Saengkham (Thailand)
Alex Borg (Malta)
Lyu Haotian (China)
Manuel Francisco (South Africa)
Brendan O'Donoghue (Ireland)
Ajeya Prabhakar (USA)
Omar Al Kojah (Syria)
