by Thomas Overbeck
The European Pocket Billiard Federation (EPBF) announced:
“With the recent success of the Atlantic Challenge Cup (Junior Teams from Europe and USA) in which Europe won in a close encounter 11-9 over team USA, the EPBF announces the qualifying criteria for 2016.
“The BCA who will host this event will announce the venue and location in the next few weeks so the players can look forward to a trip across the pond to defend the title Europe won in a dramatic finale here in Rankweil, Austria.
“Using the coming European Championships in Sankt Johann in Pongau as the main qualifying criteria, this will surely add spice to an event already established for the qualifying to the world championships. The players can now look forward to an extra incentive to take a gold medal as this secures a spot on the team that will face the Americans on their own soil in 2016.
European Qualifying Criteria:
Junior 9-ball & 8-ball winners 2 spots
World junior champion OR 2nd place 1 spot
Eurotour highest ranked youth player 1 spot
Girls 9-ball & 8-ball winners 2 spots
Doubles or non taken spots hereafter are awarded as follows:
Junior 10-ball champion
Junior straight-ball champion
2nd highest ranked junior player on the Eurotour rankings.
Girls: If there is a world champion then 1 spot for this is followed by the EC 9-ball winner and the 8-ball is sacrificed.
If the same girl wins both 9 & 8-ball with no world champion then the 10-ball EC champion is elected & moving to the silver medals if still required to select the representation.
American Qualifying Criteria:
America will announce its 2016 player qualifying criteria in the coming weeks.
The Co-Sponsors of the 2015 Atlantic Challenge Cup included: Iwan Simonis, Aramith, Tweeten, Dynamic Billards, Kamui, Rasson Billiards and J. Pechauer Cues.
Organizers of the Atlantic Challenge Cup are the Billiard Congress of America, Billiard Education Foundation, European Pocket Billiard Federation and the International Billiard Promotion Foundation.