The Union Mondiale de Billard (French

French language

French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...

 for World Union of Billiards) is the world governing body for carom (carambole) billiard games. The organization was founded in Madrid

Madrid

Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...

, Spain

Spain

Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...

 on 1 June 1959, and is dedicated to promoting the modern carom billiards games. The UMB monitors and controls international carom competitions and tournaments, and organizes an annual World Three-cushion Billiards Championship

UMB World Three-cushion Championship

The UMB World Three-cushion Championship is a professional carom billiards tournament in the discipline of three-cushion billiards, organized mostly annually by the Union Mondiale de Billard...

.

The goals of the UMB include favoring the development of billiard games as sports at the international level, and representing the interests of billiards in general. The UMB provides a permanent and stable liaison with its affiliated regional confederations, and constitutes the largest governing body in carom billiards.

The UMB is a co-founding member, and the sole representative of carom billiards, in the World Confederation of Billiard Sports

World Confederation of Billiard Sports

The World Confederation of Billiard Sports is the international umbrella organization encompassing the major cue sports , including carom billiards, pool games of several varieties, and snooker. The confederation is relatively new, having been founded in 1992...

 (WCBS), the international umbrella organization encompassing the major cue sports (billiards-type games), including carom billiards, pool

Pocket billiards

Pool, also more formally known as pocket billiards or pool billiards , is the family of cue sports and games played on a pool table having six receptacles called pockets along the , into which balls are deposited as the main goal of play. Popular versions include eight-ball and nine-ball...

 games of several varieties, and snooker

Snooker

Snooker is a cue sport that is played on a green baize-covered table with pockets in each of the four corners and in the middle of each of the long side cushions. A regular table is . It is played using a cue and snooker balls: one white , 15 worth one point each, and six balls of different :...

.

Three large conferderations are recognised by UMB, namely: Confédération Européenne de Billard (European Billiard Confederation), Confederación Panamericana de Billar (Pan-American Billiard Confederation; South and to an extent North America), and the Asian Carom Billiard Confederation (Asia and the Pacific). The national federations subsumed within these broad, regional confederations, along with independent federations in Algeria

Algeria

Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...

, Egypt

Egypt

Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...

 and the US

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

, are all recognised UMB affiliates. (Note: Some US-based organizations are CPB affiliates, such as the United States Snooker Association

United States Snooker Association

The United States Snooker Association is the internationally recognized governing body of the sport of snooker in the United States, with its current headquarters registered in Santa Clara, California....

.)

Mr. Jean-Claude Dupont from Belgium

Belgium

Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...

 is the current President of UMB.

External links

• Official website
• Three-cushion World Cup
• Three-cushion Team Championship