The cue sport, which was proposed to be included in the 2010 London Games have not even found a mention for 2016 or 2020 editions.
Not all the world champions would be able to enjoy the sun and sand of Rio de Janeiro in 2016. After including rugby sevens and golf in the Olympics roster, Tiger Woods maybe happy, but not world billiards champion Pankaj Advani. The cue sport, which was proposed to be included in the 2010 London Games have not even found a mention for 2016 or 2020 editions.
Ask Pankaj and he tells you why. “We have to separate apex bodies governing the sport, — International Billiards and Snooker Federation (IBSF) and World Confederation of Billiards Sports (WCBS) — and International Olympic Committee would never accept it,” explains Pankaj, who was on a leisure trip to the city. For the time he also doesn’t see the two bodies coming together to bid for the game’s inclusion.
But he is more disappointed after the cue sport wasn’t included in the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi. In spite the WCBS being an accepted member of the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) and also the sport being a recognised one, it lost out to Archery and Tennis for inclusion in the 2010 CWG. The triple national snooker and billiards champion questions: “Most of the top players in the game come from Commonwealth countries, then why not include the sport in the event?”
But the 24-year old champion, who has almost all the trophies and awards in his cupboard, but the Olympic gold. “Many athletes would think that Olympic medal is the ultimate, but for me at the end of it is all the same, competition is there, whether it is the worlds or the Olympics,” explains Advani.
He cited the example of India’s first Olympic gold medalist Abhinav Bindra who had said that the competition at Olympics was easier than the World Championships. But if the sport is included, he would surely want to cherish the feeling of standing on the podium with the national anthem being played.
After Rio’s successful bid against the heavyweights like Chicago and Madrid, Advani feels Olympics dream should not be ruled out. “Can you beat the amount of money sports are generating in the country,” believes Advani.
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