Snooker Sets Sights On Olympic Games

World Snooker has announced that the sport is targeting a place on the programme for the 2020 summer Olympic Games, bringing forward original plans for Olympic inclusion by four years.

The World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) and the World Confederation of Billiard Sports (WCBS) are on board with the bid, according to media reports.

Tokyo, the hosts for the Games in 2020, will be able to accept at least one sport as an addition to the list approved at the International Olympic Committee’s extraordinary general meeting in Monaco last year.

There will, however, be intense competition for the additional spot – from the likes of baseball/softball and squash – on the Tokyo Games schedule.

WPBSA chairman Jason Ferguson said: “Snooker has grown at unprecedented levels in recent times and it has been our belief for some time that we should be given our chance on the ultimate global platform for sport.

“In 2001 we delivered, with great success, our sport to the International World Games in Akita, Japan, a programme which has continued to this day. Today we strongly believe that cue sports has a very powerful case for inclusion in the Olympics in Tokyo.

“Snooker alone is watched by nearly half a billion people worldwide and played competitively in over 90 countries. With pool and carom alongside us under the WCBS, we have competition in around 200 countries, making us one of the world’s most widely practised sports.”