International Billiard Council Tour
2001 - 2003
Years activePool
Game(s) played
History
The International Billiard Council (IBC) was formed on August 1, 2001, in Tokyo, Japan. The purpose was to create an organization dedicated to promoting the sport of billiards through the development of a World-Wide Professional Tour.
In 2001, IBC organized 6 international pool tournaments, including the 2001 Tokyo 9 Ball Tournament, the richest 9-Ball tournament event ever held at the time. It featured over 700 players and gave away over $800,000, including more than $160,000 to the winner, Efren Reyes.
In 2002, IBC organized the first ever true World Tour, which featured 5 events on 3 continents. The World Tour champion was selected based on cumulative points earned through the year. Ralf Souquet was a close winner over second-place Francisco Bustamante.
In 2003, IBC worked with the World Pool-Billiard Association (WPA) to promote a World Tour consisting of 12 events around the World. These included the BCA Open in the USA, selected Eurotours in Europe, and again there was a final event in Tokyo, with the best players.
In 2004 the IBC had to cancel two events in succession (Philippines Cup and Taïwan Open), and stopped working.