The World Snooker Federation (WSF), the global amateur body of the WPBSA, held its 2023 General Meeting on Wednesday, December 20, 2023 online.
The meeting was opened by WSF President Jason Ferguson, who welcomed delegates and friends from member federations around the world.
The independently audited accounts were unanimously approved by members, confirming that the WSF remains in a strong and robust position going into 2024.
The Board recognized the success of the 2023 WSF Championship held in Sydney, Australia earlier in the year, where talented junior players Ma Hailong and Stan Moody triumphed to earn spots on the World Snooker Tour for the next two years. The hard work of the Asia Pacific Snooker and Billiards Federation and the Billiards and Snooker Council of Australia in securing the event was heartily recognized.
Looking ahead to the 2024 event in Albania, Ogert Shkrepa, President of the Albanian Snooker Federation, took part in the meeting, thanking him for the hospitality shown to WSF delegates during his recent visit and for the valuable time spent with the Albanian Olympic Committee.
Members of the recent World Paralympic Games in Korat, Thailand - the first time since 1988 that Para-snooker has competed at a major multi-sports event with the support of the World Federation of Persons with Disabilities (WFD) and World Para Billiards and Snooker! also celebrated at the meeting.
The President thanked the WSF board members and management team for their excellent work over the past six years and thanked friend and colleague John Terry who passed away in May and will be missed by all.
Finally, there was also a fruitful discussion on the planned establishment of the WSF Council, a sub-committee of the Board of Directors with strategic local knowledge aimed at the development of sport within the WSF member regions and future activities.
WSF President Jason Ferguson said, "I want to thank everyone who attended this year's WSF Convention earlier today for what is always a big moment in the season.
"We are all very excited about the upcoming WSF Championship in Graham, Albania, where this season's winner will once again win two World Snooker Tour cards.
"This is the landmark fifth edition of the event and following the success of the 2023 tournament in Sydney, Australia earlier this year, the WSF is bringing two exciting young talents to the professional game in Horse Hailong and Stan Moody, who have already shown their potential.
"As always, the WSF remains committed to organizing high-quality, inclusive tournaments that are open to all, offering players from around the world the opportunity to participate and seize their chance to progress in the sport.
"We look forward to continuing to work closely with federations around the world to continue to grow and develop this wonderful sport in the coming years."
