Is the Olympic dream over? | WPBSA x IBSF: Analysis

If you haven't read the Blog's latest text, you should before you read this one. There, I explain all about the recent issues between the WPBSA, the IBSF and the WCBS, with loads of inside information and quotes from both WPBSA's and IBSF's chairman.
It has led many people to say the dream to get Snooker into the Olympics is over, what is partly true - but why is that? Why does Ferguson leaving the WCBS means we can't get into the Olympics anymore? I will give my opinion on that right now.

At first we must understand that Jason Ferguson still rules the WPBSA and to be refused a place in the Olympics in 2015, even though unfair in my opinion, was very helpful to Cue Sports. It made WPBSA look into the opportunities for disable people to play (we have an established tour now with the WDBS - something that didn't even exist back then), care to the women's game (they made several changes to the WLBSA, which is now WLBS), and of course invest on other Cue Sports because if Snooker is ever going to make the Olympics it'll have to bring the other Cue Sports along (the example is Ferguson taking charge of WCBS straight away in 2015).

All that joint with the amazing job they had been doing since 2010 to get Snooker popular worldwidely, made 2015 and 2016 the best years of the sport in terms of international interest - and I'm very thankful for both Barry Hearn (World Snooker's boss) and Jason Ferguson.
However, since the start of the 2016/17 season things have gone downhill. World Snooker set that 10-year deal with Eurosport, so often criticised by me here, that made it impossible for people outside Europe to watch Snooker online (so, many countries like Brazil and Australia were left with no Snooker at all); stopped going to new countries and instead started holding endless events (which you can't tell the difference from one another apart from the name) where the money is: UK and China; and of course set another 10-year deal with a TV channel (CCTV in China), something that only after the nightmare the deal with Eurosport proved to be I found out it was a bad thing, to make long deals with broadcasters, as they simply do whatever they fancy with their tournaments and there's nothing the sports's governing body can do (not to say these contracts tells that they rather make sure they have a deal for 10 years in case the sport devalues than hang on and work to make the sport worth more in a few years time).

That said, the WPBSA and the World Snooker surrendered to who would pay it better and quickly, instead of keeping to invest on making the sport popular all over the World and get it into the Olympics - a work that was beautifully done from 2010 to the end of the 2015/16 season.
With that in mind, World Snooker had no trouble in deciding they would kick the Shanghai Masters from the tour (despite their fantastic 10th anniversary celebration event last season) just because Yushan will pay more to have the untraditional World Open - a decision strongly rejected by players on social media.
And then, WPBSA ends their partnership with the IBSF.  All the information I had access to before writing my latest text leads me to think IBSF simply changed it's presidency and their new chairman, Mr Mubarak Al Khayarin, did some sort of coup to overtake the WCBS and start an attempt to make IBSF bigger than the WPBSA and World Snooker, even though I think he'll reach nowhere, whatever the amount of money he'll put in it - IBSF already had to cancel their World Championship, which was set to be played November, in Malta.
The main problem though is that Cue Sport's bigger organisation has broken with their main amateur federation and their main Billiards federation. Consider as well that they've stopped to take Snooker abroad it's "traditional checkpoints", the sport is not watchable all over the World anymore, and they're filling the calendar with those repetitive events in UK and China making deals for the wealthy improvement of the sport instead of it's future perspectives: it does really feel like WPBSA's dream to put Snooker in the Olympics is long gone.

I used to disagree a lot with Hearn and company from when they got in in 2010 until the results of their work started coming out in 2014, but ever since I've been on their side - as the game has indeed leveled up incredibly. With that I learned to confide them and not criticise anything before seeing what comes after as a result.
However, the only explanation of what they're doing now would be that they're making as much money as they can to come abroad and bring Snooker to new places like North America, Africa or Argentina (where people already love professional Snooker). For all I've said here I don't think that's the case, but after these latest issues WPBSA will have their chance to restructure and show their care for Billiards and the amateur game. As Mr Ferguson himself said, "new arrangements will need to be put in place to achieve the Olympic ambitions". We can only wait and hope for the better.

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