FORTY players will be vying for one spot in the round of 16 at Peace Corner in Rubavu District today as the inaugural National Pool Table Championship officially starts.

According to the founder of Just Gaming, organisers of the championship, David Niyonsaba is optimistic that it will be an entertaining and competitive tourney despite being its first edition.

"We want to use this chance to build and professionalise pool table as a sport. In Rwanda, the sport is perceived as something meant for those who have nothing better to do with their time; we need to change that,” Niyonsaba told Saturday Sport yesterday.

The first of its kind in the country, the competition will be held at 16 sites, eight in Kigali and eight more upcountry. Rubavu becomes the first site to welcome preliminaries of the championship.

Finals of the three-week long countrywide championship will be hosted at Kigali Convention Centre on June 8. The winner will walk away Rwf1.5 million prize, while the first runner-up is expected to pocket Rwf1 million.

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