Claude Fath, welcome to the Website. From the beginning, the AGIPI auditorium was built to create the best conditions for a great billiards show. After hosting the European Team Club Cups 2006 and 2007, multiple French Top League rounds and National Championships, one could have though your wishes were fulfilled. But then you take on a new challenge, the AGIPI Billiards Masters. What keeps you going ?

With the AGIPI auditorium, we have at our disposal a great place, perfect for hosting the best events. We've used it so far for billiards with great success, and after organizing of all the events you mentioned, we have devided to create the "AGIPI Billiards Masters". I'm deeply convinced that billiards is a popular sport, in a way that it appeals to everybody, and, when played at the highest level, it intriges the ####, and makes any amateur dream. Besides snooker's big sized media coverage - mainly on Eurosport - I wished, as a part of developing and building carom's notoriety, to create a top-of-the art invitational event, regrouping the very best players of the world.

Prestigious event, played in 9 sessions - each of which will be covered live on this website, then be broadcasted on Eurosport 2. The "AGIPI Billiards Masters" aim to become the annual rendez-vous for top players for the world and from France. The "Masters" are the way for me to express my love for the game of billiards in general, and particularly carom. My positions as president and general manager of AGIPI, and also president of the French Billiards Federation made it possible to finalize this dream project.

Quality of the production structure is not sole responsible to make such an event succesful, a team is also needed. Ambiance, communication, logistics, catering … We often see the AGIPI team taking on new roles and getting invested in the organization of all these billiards shows. Tell us how it affects the daily life of the company ?

Personal insurances (life-insurance, savings, retirement pensions, health insurance) are AGIPI's business. Our 170 co-workers in these headquarters are fully commited to it. They are proud of its success, of its good reputation, and of the quality of their working environment.
Billiard events from these two last seasons have been quite successful within the company's employees; they have spontaneously volunteered to help in making these events successful. Such events take a big part in the company's ambiance, its animation, and everybody is proud when the AGIPI team wins.

Although many companies invest large amounts in golf, sailing, tennis or other flagship sports, AGIPI invest in a smaller sport, which neverless has TV coverage. What drives AGIPI's involvment in billiards ? Is the passion of its president the only reason ?

Carom billiards is indeed a sport which awareness needs to be strongly reevaluated. Snooker did it ; its top players are known by the spectators, and sponsors aren't an issue. It is totally different for carom which, due to lack of TV coverage, has been forgotten by the wide audience. How many know the names of 3 Cushions' top players ?
Choosing carom billiards as a marketing orientation relies on a bet, raising the brand awareness of our company through this event's TV recorded shows, and the livecast on internet of each round. The goal for us is to stimulate the audience's interests, especially young people.
Comparing these investments with the ones needed in other sports, and considering our yearly marketing budget, the amounts are reasonable. We will see the fallouts of the whole project at the end of season.


The top players from the world - eleven from the first twelve of the UMB ranking - are in the 16 invited players for this Masters. With a total of 100.000€, the prize money also makes this event outstanding. You have chosen to dispatch it in a very special way. What was the concept behing it ?

The AGIPI Billiard Masters welcome a lot of great champions, in an event which I want glorifying the sport of billiards, and yet attractive for the audience. This is the reason why the "offensive play" will be financially rewarded, and the game's rhythm will be pushed by the shotclock. Every run of 10, or better, will be rewarded, as will be a game won in 25 innings or less, as will be the best general averages and matches averages. With only 40 seconds for the players to think about their shots, and the distance of 50 points will favor the best player of the moment. On another scale, the AGIPI Billiard Masters have been created like the Tennis Masters Cup, with a few number of players, but the very best.


Jérémy Bury, Jean-Christophe Roux, Christophe Duval and Jérôme Barbeillon are the four invited players who will have the privilege to play against the world's 3 Cushions superstars. On which criterias were they selected ?

In any sports, like in professiona life, confrontation and competition lead to improvement and performance. I decided that, along with the 12 great international players, 4 french players would compete. With Jérémy Bury, Christophe Duval, Jérôme Barbeillon and Jean-Christophe Roux, I chose youth and the future. Jean-Christophe Roux is the current national Champion and I'm satisfied after seeing that Jérémy Bury, Jérôme Barbeillon and Christophe Duval, were all in the semi-finals of the last national tournament held in Courbevoie.
Let's not forget that two of them, Jérémy Bury and Christophe Duval, have won 3 times in a row the European Club Team Cup with AGIPI.

The AGIPI auditorium has been the stage of spectacular matches from the team's number 3 and 4 : Jérémy Bury and Christophe Duval. Do you think they can repeat their performances against such top players ?

The task will be extremely difficult ; a race to 50 points favors the best players, but in billiards - like in other sport - the shape, the will to win, the fact that they're playing at home, the audience's support, can bring many surprises. Seeing our players qualify from the first group stages would be a great feeling.

World Champions Frédéric Caudron and Marco Zanetti will also play "at home", and everybody knows how tough they are to beat on their ground. You will be without doubt one of their best supporters...

This questions is tied with the previous one ; Frédéric and Marco and both great champions ; for them, as for their prestigious opponents, anything is possible. They will have my support, and the crowd loves them. A dream forecast: a final four composed with Frédéric, Marco, Jérémy and Christophe...