Player Travels 7,000 Miles to Compete in German Open

Atapattu (SRI) and Miko (HUN) Foto: EPBF/AMM

“I love to play here. My dream came true!”

Thursday, 25 August 2011: Out of the 172 players of the Dynamic German Open, Chamaka Atapattu from Sri Lanka definitely had the longest trip to come to Brandenburg, Germany. Residing in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Atapattu always watches the Euro-Tour events on the internet via LiveStream. “It's a really good experience for me playing here” stated Atapattu after losing his first match to Balasz Miko (HUN) with 4:8. The match did not go too well for Atapattu, while Miko had the better nerves and proved to be the better player in that matchup. His positions with the cue ball were more precise and in the end he had not too much trouble taking the victory into his account.

“I could also play in Asia, but the Euro-Tour is simply awesome. It is the best tour in the World and it features the strongest players.”, said Atapattu. “The president, Mr. Gre Leenders, helped me a lot to get me my visas and other things and made it possible for me to attend the Euro-Tour. I am very thankful for that and I think it is a great service. I feel very welcome here. To me that is a dream come true”, says a very likeable young man from Sri Lanka. “Here I can compete with the best players in the World like Tony Drago and Ralf Souquet”. When asked if he is intending to play future events of the Euro-Tour, Atapattu stated: “I will definitely try and come here more often. I hope I can make it to the Hungarian Open in a month's time”. Chamaka Atapattu is definitely a gain for the Euro-Tour.

The event is hosted by the European Governing Body for Pool, the European Pocket Billiard Federation (EPBF) and organized by International Billiard Promotion (IBP). For further information and reference please go to the federation website www.eurotouronline.eu , follow us on twitter @EPBF_News or contact our press office.