South African and African nine-ball champion Dino Nair “Dino-mite” to his friends will compete against 127 of the world’s best pool players for $300 000 in Cardiff later this month at the world nine-ball championships, writes Ntuthuko Maphumulo.
Nair said: “I intend to win in Wales as it will be my first nine-ball international tournament and a good preparation for the World Games [in Japan next month].”
These games celebrate popular sports not included in the Olympics.
Nair began playing pool in 1995 at the age of 19 after he gave up
volleyball and got his provincial colours the same year.
He started playing pool in taverns and bars in Tongaat in KwaZulu-Natal. Nair said his parents were sceptical at first about his passion for the game because they thought he was going to bars for drinking sprees.
Nair, now 24, became the youngest South African and African nine-ball champion last year. He was crowned doubles eight-ball champion with Yulan Govender at the South African tournament in Nelspruit. He also played at the Embassy eight-ball tournament in England earlier this year.
In November he will compete in the new Carling eight-ball African Cup to be held in Namibia.
When Nair is not participating in competitions he conducts free coaching clinics in Tongaat and Verulam for young people who want to learn to play the game.
Nair practises for between six and eight hours a day and is looking for endorsements or sponsorship for his trips around the world.
Ntuthuko Maphumulo
South Africa will be sending sportsman and women to the 6th World games to be held in Akita, Japan in August. These games could help NOCSA the sports people that failed to get Olympic gold in Sydney, Australia make the nation proud.
The world games are held under the patronage of the International Olympic Committee after the Olympics have taken place. The world games showcase sporting codes that are not yet in the Olympics. These sporting codes are showcased at this event to make them gain recognition and popularity in the world and also the Olympics. The World games were first held in 1981 in the USA, and were followed by games in the UK, Germany, Netherlands and Finland.
The president of NOCSA Sam Ram Ramsamy said “sports in South Africa has become a symbol of unity and national pride.” Ramsamy also said that he knows that the athletes that will be participating in the world games will make the nation proud. The minister of sport and recreation Ngconde Balfour welcomed the participation of sporting codes that were non Olympic by contributing R750 000 matching the figure given by National Olympic Committee to the athletes that will participate in the world games. The National Olympic Committee of South Africa also said they will do their best to support the athletes as they prepare for the games and trust that the athletes performances will encourage the development of these sports in the country.
It is expected that more than 3000 athletes will converge in Akita to participate in the 26 official sports and five demonstration sports. It will be the first time that South Africa will go as a team of different federations as a unity. South Africa will be participating in billiards, casting, dance sport, karate, life saving, rhythmic gymnastics, rugby, tug of war, tumbling and waterski.
The athletes that will be participating the world games will go through scientific and medical testing. The y will also be tested for drug substances that are banned.