Iran’s Hossein Vafaei Ayouri first turned professional back in 2012 following his victory at the 2011 IBSF World Championship, but his two and a half seasons on tour have to date been blighted by visa issues which have limited him to sporadic appearances at events such as the Six Red World Championship and Asian Tour events.
Now however, according to reports on Twitter, the 20-year-old has now finally seen his long awaited quest for a visa granted.
A couple of lines of important news today from World Snooker, who have confirmed that last week’s Asian U-21 champion Thanawat Tirapongpaiboon will be awarded a two-year tour card from the 2014/15 season following his victory, while Iran’s Hossein Vafaei Ayouri will also be awarded an extended tour card for the season.
Click below for more, or here to view my updated look at who will make up the main tour field for this season…
Congratulations to Iran’s Hossein Vafaei Ayouri, who has today defeated Ireland’s Josh Boileau 8-3 to win the 2014 IBSF World Under-21 Championship in Al Fujairah, UAE.
As well as being another prestigious amateur title to his name, the victory carries with it a two-year tour card from the 2015/16 season, but for Vafaei the priority will be to resolve the visa issues that have left him unable to compete on the professional circuit for the past two seasons.
While there may now a break in the professional calendar until August, there is snooker being played over the next five days in Colombia, as the 2013 World Games take place in the South American continent…
Hossein Vafaei Ayouri will make history next season as the first professional snooker player from Iran.
The talented 17-year-old from Abadan won the IBSF World Amateur Championship last December, which has earned him a place on the professional tour for the next two years. He will be eligible to compete in all ranking events, starting with the Wuxi Classic qualifiers in early June.
Congratulations to 17-year-old Iranian Hossein Vafaei who today resisted a brave fight-back from Welshman Lee Walker to capture the 2011 IBSF World Championship in Banglaore 10-9 on the final black. Having trailed 7-2 at one stage, it looked like the momentum was with Walker but eventually it was to be Vafaei who would emerge the winner to earn a nomination onto the main tour for 2012/13.
It is a historic triumph for Hossein who earlier this season won the silver medal at the 2011 Asian U-21 Championship, finishing as runner-up to China’s Cao Yupeng in Kish Island as a 16-year-old. Hossein also appeared as a wildcard at this season’s Shanghai Masters tournament, taking a frame off the experienced Fergal O’Brien in a 5-1 defeat.
A member of PJ Nolan’s Champions Academy, Hossein has been tipped by many inside the game as one to watch and now with his place on the main tour secured for next season it will be fascinating to see how he develops.