Snooker fails on Olympic introdution
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| Hong Kong's Ng On Yee (pictured) broke Reanne Evan's 10 years reign winning the 2015 World Ladies Championship |
IOC (International Olympic Committee) announced that Snooker will not be introduced in the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, where a few extra places for new sports were offered.
It's a big shame in my opinion, because Snooker is bigger than most sports already in there, and the World Cup in China last week proved it, although Jason Ferguson told the truth saying the probable reason why Snooker's bid were negated is that Women's game isn't big.
Women's game isn't big really, excepting a few players most of them is poor, Reanne Evans winning it 10 successive years is a prove of that. She's an excellent player but there was nobody to compete with her.
I personally love to see women involved in Snooker and it's sad to know few can compete in the tour with the men. During the World Championship this year, Reanne Evans played the Qualifiers and lost only 8-10 to 1997 Champion Ken Doherty in the first round, and in a press conference Barry Hearn was questioned about the investments in the female Snooker. The World Snooker president simply answered that "the investments and encouragements are there, they just need start playing. We can't do much because their standard isn't good enough.", then 10-times ladies Champion Reanne Evans said "World Snooker could do more, they do basically nothing with the women's.".
I agree with both sides, at Barry's side, you look back to the men who started playing before the game got popular in the 70's, there was no money incentive but they spent hours in the practice because they loved the sport and then it became popular and they became famous and riches. So it's easier now for women because the prize moneys are big and Snooker isn't a physical sport, but at Reanne's side you think that the fact it's easier for women than it was for the men isn't argument because we're in 2015 and not in the 70's, World Snooker should help them increasing the prizes a bit and do things like bring back the last days of the Ladies World Championship to the Crucible.
It's clearly that things with the women's game has to be made, but you have to consider as well that "Cue Sports" were biding for the Olympics, and not just Snooker. To be honest the only Cue Sport event outside Snooker that is notable, is the Mosconi Cup, 9 ball. So it's not enough just Snooker being that popular, the others kind of Cue Sports has to run together. However Jason Ferguson has said he will work hard again and bid to get inside it in 2024, let's hope we're luckier this time, because although all that we're still better and most popular than most sports inside it, and talking about the game itself, it brings ability, strategy, calm and safety play, it's a fascinating sport, the best of the World for me, the bigger loser is the Olympic because Snooker should be a big addition.
Of course you have to consider also that everything Ronnie O`Sullivan says reach in the whole world, his interviews after losing matches get more space in the papers than a player other than himself winning any title. And he was totally against Snooker getting inside the Olympics saying it's for sports where players practice hard for four years and Snooker already have it's World Championship which is the most important thing for them. I can't see the sense of his opinion because when a sport get inside the Olympic Games it grows a lot globally and there's no negative way about that, but the most famous Snooker player ever saying that might did
influence the IOC's decision a bit.
The World Cup last week was a great event and just shows Snooker is already big enough, but as a commiseration prize, at least we have the World Cup now, played by +20 countries that can really compete and is a big, big event.
By the way I will be doing an interview with Anita Maflin, who represented Norway as the only woman in the event and I will talk a lot about this subject, keep alert!
Like our Facebook's page as well to be aware of any news going around the wonderful Snooker World!
It's clearly that things with the women's game has to be made, but you have to consider as well that "Cue Sports" were biding for the Olympics, and not just Snooker. To be honest the only Cue Sport event outside Snooker that is notable, is the Mosconi Cup, 9 ball. So it's not enough just Snooker being that popular, the others kind of Cue Sports has to run together. However Jason Ferguson has said he will work hard again and bid to get inside it in 2024, let's hope we're luckier this time, because although all that we're still better and most popular than most sports inside it, and talking about the game itself, it brings ability, strategy, calm and safety play, it's a fascinating sport, the best of the World for me, the bigger loser is the Olympic because Snooker should be a big addition.
Of course you have to consider also that everything Ronnie O`Sullivan says reach in the whole world, his interviews after losing matches get more space in the papers than a player other than himself winning any title. And he was totally against Snooker getting inside the Olympics saying it's for sports where players practice hard for four years and Snooker already have it's World Championship which is the most important thing for them. I can't see the sense of his opinion because when a sport get inside the Olympic Games it grows a lot globally and there's no negative way about that, but the most famous Snooker player ever saying that might did
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| 16 was the average age of the China's winner team in the 2015 World Cup |
The World Cup last week was a great event and just shows Snooker is already big enough, but as a commiseration prize, at least we have the World Cup now, played by +20 countries that can really compete and is a big, big event.
By the way I will be doing an interview with Anita Maflin, who represented Norway as the only woman in the event and I will talk a lot about this subject, keep alert!
Like our Facebook's page as well to be aware of any news going around the wonderful Snooker World!
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