KARACHI: The fate of snooker, either to retain or scratch it in the 2014 Asian Games, will be decided at a meeting which is to be held in Guangzhou on November 11, a day before the Asiad opens in the Chinese city.
“The OCA has opted against the inclusion of baize game from 2014 onwards and has informed the Asian Confederation of Billiards Sports (ACBS),” executive vice-president ACBS, Asghar Valika, told on Wednesday.
He said the ACBS has asked all its member nations to resists the move by getting no objection certificate from their respective national Olympic committees in favour of the sport.“The ACBS will press OCA to review its decision pertaining to dropping of the sport which has a large following in the region,” he added.
Earlier, the OCA asked the ACBS to chose Asian Games or Asian Indoor Games and the regional body of the sport put its weight behind Asiad.
Valika, who is also vice-president of the International Billiards and Snooker Federation (IBSF), disclosed that the Pakistan Billiards and Snooker Association (PBSA) have also sought an NOC from the Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) in support of the cue sport.
It is pertinent to mention that the cue sport made its debut in the Asian Games at Bangkok in 1998 and has been a part of it since then.
Pakistan stunned the fraternity of the game while landing a gold in the snooker singles through England-based Shaukat Ali when the game made it debut.
In addition, Pakistan has fetched three bronze medals, two at Bangkok and one at Busan.
A total of 10 gold medals — six for men's and four for women's — are at the stake in cue sport at Guangzhou.
