114 Champions from 56 Nations Gather in Brisbane for the GranBrisbane, Australia- 2025 Heyball Champions of Champions Kicks Off with 🎤Opening Speech by Mr. Qiao of JOY Billiards! Opening of 2025 Heyball Champions of Champions! 🏆🎱
Dear Cr. Greg Adermann- Pullenvale Ward on behalf of Adrian Schrinner, Lord Mayor of Brisbane City, Cr. Stephen Huang MacGregor Ward Brisbane City, champions from around the world, and all friends who love billiards: Good evening!
As the spring breeze of the Southern Hemisphere blows through Brisbane, this sun-kissed city brimming with passion and vitality is about to witness the ultimate showdown of HEYBALL's world champions.
Standing here, I am filled with immense honor and excitement, feeling as though I can sense the very pulse of this vibrant city. Brisbane is a city blessed by god and one that resonates with the Olympic spirit. She has demonstrated its openness to the world through the 1982 Commonwealth Games and the 2014 G20 Summit. Now, as the host of the 2032 Olympic Games, she continues to convey the sporting values of "inclusivity, innovation, and sustainability" to the global community.
This aligns perfectly with the spirit of HEYBALL, which are "Uniting The World" and "Harmonious Coexistence." HEYBALL combines the strategy of Snooker with the excitement of American Pool, harmonized by Eastern wisdom to become a "sport without borders."
In 2024, we signed an agreement with the WCBS, WPA and ANOC. We invested significantly to embark on the journey of Heyball's inclusion into the Olympics. Aligning with Olympic standards, with Brisbane as the central point, we have launched nine international tournaments across continents, including the HEYBALL World Championship, Parasport World Championship, Junior World Championship, European Open, Oceania Open, and World Cup, all achieving encouraging progress in two years.
This tournament is a comprehensive upgrade from last year's inaugural HEYBALL Champion of Champions in Sydney, adhering to the principles of "higher standards, broader participation, and stronger competition." It brings together 128 champions from around the world, including dominant forces from Europe, top talents from the Asia and Pacific, kings of the Pan-America, and rising stars from Oceania.
When athletes of different skin colors, languages, and cultures come together for a common goal, this event becomes not just a test of skill but also a dialogue of civilizations. Because the greatness of a sport lies not only in how many champions it produces but also in its ability to make the world a better place. It is our vision as HEYBALL practitioners to bring people around the world closer through friendship fostered by this sport.
On the world stage, all of you are national champions, and I pay my tribute to everyone.
Although I am 73 years old this year, I still have a champion dream. It's so coincidental that on this day last month, the FIS Australia Masters was held at the Thredbo Resort and the World Cup Race Course in New South Wales. I participated in the B9 group competition on the 16th and 17th and won two bronze medals. Although I am not the champion, this is the best result achieved by Chinese alpine skiers in international competitions. I became the No.1 Chinese athlete in this discipline.
Good results fill us with confidence, encouraging us to motivate each other and strive tirelessly to achieve our champion dreams!
Everyone has come to Brisbane in pursuit of your dreams. The flowing river in Brisbane evoke deep sentiments in us. We aspire to be that ceaseless current breaking down cultural barriers and the steadfast rock safeguarding the purest spirit of sports. I propose: Let the starry sky of Brisbane and the spring breeze of the Southern Hemisphere bear witness as we together inaugurate this billiards feast for all humanity!
Last but not least, we would like to express our gratitude to the Brisbane City Council and Mr. Schrinner-Lord Mayor of Brisbane for providing us with such a great platform for the event and for their tremendous support towards our ultimate dream - Heyball's inclusion into the Brisbane Olympics.
May every athlete here reap friendship and glory, and may the light of HEYBALL illuminate the world at the 2032 Brisbane Olympic Games!
Thank you!
