After the last two years in Chinese-Taipei and Kaohsiung, Matchroom Sport has decided to push the envelope and stage the prestigious World Pool Championships in Manila this year, marking the first time that the annual event will be held in the Philippines.

Matchroom Sport, headed by its chairman, British millionaire Barry Hearn, and Media Director Luke Riches will join ESPN Star Sports executives in Manila next week to finalize deals of what is reportedly a done deal.

While hosting the World Pool Championships is a costly endeavor, the positive media opportunity is expected to be more than worthwhile, especially since pool-crazy Filipinos would love to see 1999 champion Efren “Bata” Reyes, 2004 winner Alex “The Lion” Pagulayan, 2002 runner-up Francisco “Django” Bustamante and promising stars such as “Marvelous” Marlon Manalo match their skills against the finest players from Chinese-Taipei, the U.S. and Europe, along with emerging talents from Japan and South Korea.

Viva Sports/Manila Standard Today was informed that the top prize will be the biggest in the history of the World Pool Championships, running into six figures.

No venue has been selected as of yet, but candidates include the Philippine International Convention Center, the World Trade Center and billionaire Henry Sy’s Mall of Asia.