The 5th Incheon Mayor's Cup National Billiards Tournament will be held Wednesday through Sunday at Namdong Gymnasium in Incheon — the first edition in 11 years, since the 4th tournament in 2015.
This year's tournament will be the largest in the event's history, with 1,243 players competing — 520 professional athletes and 723 recreational participants.
Top-ranked players in South Korea, including members of the national billiards team, will also take part. World No. 1 Cho Myung-woo of the Seoul Metropolitan Government team headlines the field, alongside Heo Jeong-han of the South Gyeongsang Province Billiards Federation and Kim Haeng-jik of the South Jeolla Province Billiards Federation.
All matches will be played in the carom three-cushion discipline, with 12 events across the professional and recreational divisions. Men's and women's singles and doubles events will run concurrently, bringing elite players and recreational competitors from across the country together under one roof.
The tournament carries official approval from the Korea Billiards Federation. Approved tournaments are events whose rules and operational procedures — drawn up by local governments and regional federations — are reviewed and sanctioned by the federation, with results counting toward official ranking points. Unlike multi-discipline omnibus tournaments, approved events are typically held in a single discipline such as carom three-cushion, and ranking points are awarded under a separate set of criteria.
"It is deeply meaningful to be hosting the Incheon Mayor's Cup again after 11 years," an official from the Incheon Metropolitan City Billiards Federation said. "As a large-scale tournament held in the greater Seoul area, we will work to establish it as a signature event representing Incheon through stable and well-organized operations."
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