Mumbai:
The green baize game of snooker, played with multi-coloured balls, has been short-listed among three sports to be included in the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, according to Captain P V K Mohan, president of the International Billiards and Snooker Federation (IBSF).
“For the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, snooker is being considered seriously. The Games organisers had approached the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association to send in an application to be included in the programme and it has been done. Snooker and two other sports have been short-listed,” said Mohan today at the media conference for the 2nd Indian Open Snooker, scheduled here from March 10.
“The Japan Olympic Association and WCBS (World Confederation of Billiards Sports) are pursuing it,” he added.
The IBSF chief, who is also the president of the Indian cue sports body BSFI, also announced that WPBSA chairman Jason Ferguson has agreed to IBSF’s request to include an Asian Tour to the pro snooker calendar to help Asian players who find it too expensive to travel and stay in England and take part in the European tour.
There will be eight Chinese players, one Indian and six wild cards.
He also said there would be two domestic leagues in June and September—one for grassroot players and the other, the elite one having Indian and foreign players.
“It will feature eight teams. We have almost finalised everything,” he added.
