In 1998
JOY Billiards Table Factory officially established
In 2005
Qiao Yuanxu, Chairman of JOY Billiards, witnessed Ding Junhui's championship in Beijing and recognized the enormous role of technology and tournament in the billiards industry, laying the foundation for the future strategy of JOY Billiards, which emphasizes both production and tournament. At the same time, his lifelong dream was to use the pool table made by himself on the arena of Olympic Games.
In 2006
JOY Billiards went against the trend to promote Heyball and began investing in tournaments, giving rise to the predecessor of the Masters, the "JOY Black Eight Ranking Event".
In 2007
"Xinfeng & JOY Cup" Black Eight Ranking Event was held in Shenyang to further explore the direction of the development of Heyball.
In 2009
The JOY Black Eight Ranking event was officially renamed as the National Chinese Eight Ball Ranking event, with improved rules and greater recognition by players and fans, which was more conducive to the promotion of Heyball.
In 2012
Qiao initiated the International Heyball Pool Association (IHPA), becoming the world governing body of Heyball and related sports. In the same year, the National Chinese Eight Ball Ranking Event was renamed as the World Heyball Masters Invitation Tournament, embarking on a journey to the world. In the same year, 10 national station events were held. In the same year, "King of the Crucible", Stephen Hendry signed with JOY as the global ambassador of Heyball, marking the first time that Heyball industry has signed an international top star, which was of epoch-making significance. As a result, Heyball completely broke away from the label of "rascal sport" and became an Eastern gentleman sport.
In 2013
The 1st World Heyball Masters Invitation Event was held at the Qinhuangdao Olympic Sports Center, setting a precedent for Heyball event to be held in large professional sports venue. The Masters made its debut on CCTV, CCTV5 aired a total of 13.5 hours of matches, setting a precedent for perfect cooperation between Heyball and official mainstream television media.
From 2013 to 2019, The Masters has flourished in the seven years.
In 2016
JOY launched the overseas "seeding" plan of Heyball, and established 32 overseas divisions along the Belt and Road, with the champion prize of 1 million Yuan and the total prize of more than 20 million Yuan. The event system covered 64 countries on 5 continents. South African President Ramaphosa praised Heyball as a "life-changing campaign".
In the same year, World Heyball Masters Overseas Station Event kicked off in South Africa, marking the global promotion of Heyball. It was also in this year that JOY Heyball made its debut at the Las Vegas Billiards Exhibition in the United States. Chinese player Liu Chuang and newly signed American player Shane Van Boening accepted the challenge from thousands of enthusiasts, marking the first time Heyball practitioners have exported their own billiards stars to foreign countries, which is of great significance.
In 2017
The International Heyball Pool Association joined the World Pool-Billiard Association (WPA), the official governing body of pool under the International Olympic Committee, expanding its membership to 42 countries.
In 2019
World Heyball Masters was becoming more and more well-known as an "international event made in China". It was rated by People's Daily as the only sports event for "Chinese culture going global". It has become a cultural bond to actively implement the "Belt and Road" initiative and communicate with countries along the line.
In 2020
The COVID-19 hit, and the world economy suffered a heavy blow. With years of accumulation and the slogan "During the pandemic, righteousness comes first", JOY was the first to resume large-scale Heyball events, bringing hope to the industry and players who have been affected by the epidemic. At that time, JOY output value reached 270 million Yuan, making it a "little giant" in China's billiards industry.
In 2021
The impact of the epidemic was still ongoing, and JOY expanded the event system against the trend, increasing the total prize money in a single season to 10.6 million Yuan. In 16 years, the Masters have achieved a milestone in the billiards industry by achieving a exponential order increase of prize money. In the same year, JOY decided to jointly host the 9th and 10th Grand Finals, merge the ranking and prize money, and the champion prize was 2 million Yuan. Despite the impact of the epidemic, JOY took the lead in overcoming difficulties and resuming work and events, increasing prize money investment against the trend, highlighting the concept of "serving fans" and "serving players".
In 2022
On July 28th, the World Confederation of Billiards Sports (WCBS), which is under the International Olympic Committee (IOC), officially announced that Heyball would become a discipline at the First WCBS Championship. This means that Heyball, a sport originally created and regulated by Chinese people, is on par with mainstream European and American cue sports such as snooker, American Pool, and Carom on the highest stage of world billiards field, becoming one of the four major cue sports in the world.
In 2023
The 11th World Heyball Masters Grand Finals was held at the Qinhuangdao Olympic Sports Center. 215 billiards masters and association officials from 41 countries and regions gathered in Qinhuangdao, Hebei to participate in the event. The champion prize money has been increased to 5 million Yuan, with a total prize money of 10.8 million. It has won two honors, the largest pool league with the highest prize money in the world, accelerating the promotion of Heyball, and the Olympic dream is promising.
In 2024
The 12th World Heyball Masters Grand Finals were successfully held, attracting 480 top players from 73 countries and regions worldwide to compete, setting a new record for the number of participating countries and players in Heyball field. It still has 5 million champion prize, with a total prize of 10.91 million, continuing to keep the two honors of the largest pool league with the highest prize money in the world, leading the billiards industry.
