KARACHI: Ali Asghar Valika, who took Pakistan snooker to new heights, will be stepping down from the vice-president’s post of the International Billiards and Snooker Federation (IBSF) when the body meets on the sidelines of world snooker championship in Damascus on Dec 10.
“I have informed the world governing body about the decision which I had taken in view of my occupation with the regional body, Asian Confederation of Billiards Sports (ACBS),” he told Dawn on Friday.
The former Pakistan Billiards and Snooker Association (PBSA) chief, who has served the IBSF as vice-president for four years, is due to fly to Dubai on Saturday on way to Damascus.
He said the seat has been offered to India with consensus in view of its tremendous contribution and, in all probability, Capt P.V.K.Mohan, president of Billiards Sports Federation of India, will replace him.
India, he said, played host to world championship at Hyderabad last year and plans are afoot to stage Asian and inaugural 6-Redball world championships this year.
Continuing, he said, the decision will make not much difference as being executive vice-president of the ACBS, he together with the Asian president, automatically qualify to be on the IBSF Board.
He added that apart from biennial elections, venue and dates of the world championship being held in ensuing year will be finalised in the moot.
Valika said the issue pertaining to honorarium offered to international referees in the IBSF events will also come up for discussion.
The referees have lodged a protest as they get meagre US $ 20 per day and asked for better perks.He said a decision to retain or drop baize game as a medal sport in the 2014 Asiad was under consideration and the outcome will be announced in the near future. “The ACBS member nations, backed by their respective National Olympic Committees (NOC’s), have made strong recommendation to OCA to retain the sport,” he remarked.
It goes to the credit of Valika that the baize game became medal sport at Bangkok in 1998 during his stint as ACBS president from 1994-2000 and the maiden snooker singles gold was also clinched by England-based Pakistani Shaukat Ali.
Valika, who is patron-in-chief of PBSA, said Pakistan urgently needs a foreign snooker coach on a long-term basis and the government should come forward to patronise medal winning sports.