Snooker journalist Hector Nance recalled the wonderful debut of the snooker professional competition in Turkey, and he believed that Turkey's successful hosting represented an important step in the globalization of the sport.
Text/ Hector Nunns
Since the first professional player ranking list in 1976 included the 1974 World Championships in the examination, the first ranking tournament in history is generally considered to be this event. That year's World Championships were held in a humble hangar hall in Manchester, while the Turkish Masters 48 years later came to an exquisite five-star hotel.
Held in the Mediterranean resort city of Antalya, the Turkish Masters is flanked by tall snow-capped mountains on one side and a warm blue ocean on the other, with the green grass of the golf course and the spring glow of fruitful orchards within sight.
Trump became the winner of the first Turkish Masters, lifting a high trophy and just as memorable was the brilliant 147th mark in the final. The Turkish Masters were originally scheduled to be held last September, but had to be rescheduled to this year because Turkey was still on the UK's travel restriction list at the time.
The success of the Turkish Masters is inseparable from the excellent event organization team behind it. The tournament's promoter, Tugba Irten (above), himself a former amateur who almost had the chance to turn pro; Burcin Badem is the sporting director of the venue where the tournament is held, and Ersan Ercan, Muhammed Leysi and their team of the Turkish Billiards Federation have worked tirelessly for the tournament. Despite taking on such a heavy workload, the organizers of the event still have unlimited love and passion.
Eurosport has been an excellent medium for snooker live streaming and coverage for years, and it's still very exciting to be able to see players on screen walk up to you. As a journalist, I have always seen Turkey as a destination worth visiting since the tournament was finalized. The people of Turkey are passionate, proud and passionate, and always love the snooker movement – and eventually these things are reflected.
Hosting such a big tournament for the first time is no easy feat, and the complexity and differences are not always obvious. Most of the Turkish TV crew had not previously covered and broadcast the snooker match, and it was especially necessary for them to undergo a long and orderly rehearsal before the match. The average snooker fan will take for granted the camera angles and lead switching they are used to seeing during the game, but these are all from the experience of the people behind the scenes for more than two decades, and the local team in Antalya learns extra quickly.
The Turkish Masters were also televised through Turkish national broadcaster TRT, enjoying the same live streaming treatment as football and basketball, and interviews with many top players were accompanied by simultaneous interpretation for the local Turkish public.
The live crowd of the competition steadily increased during the week, and the scene of the semi-finals and finals was packed with enthusiastic spectators. As you can imagine, this is a five-year co-operation program that makes us look forward to the future.
The tension of the final and Trump's 147 perfect score culminated in the enthusiasm of the live audience, with Turkey's local media Hurriyet along with Cumhuriyet Gazetesi and Halk TV both prominently covering the match.
There is also a reporter from Belarus in the media at the scene, as a country with Sankucailun as the mainstream of billiards, the successful holding of the Turkish Masters will undoubtedly attract everyone's attention to the snooker movement.
In fact, there are still many things in front of and behind the scenes that are worth writing, such as the 27-match tiebreaker of this tournament, Williams, Higgins and Dort doughnut not forget to spend their time with their families when they are fully committed to the game, and even watching Williams' sons eat pizza in the restaurant has become a major feature of the competition.
Among the many wonderful things, one thing is certain. With the success of the Turkish Masters, Snooker has taken an important step in the process of globalization, more and more national associations and event organizers have seen opportunities, and the global development of snooker sports can be expected in the future.