A debate emerged recently of whether snooker should become an Olympic sport. Opinion is split over whether snooker can be classified as a sport when no physical exertion is used to play.
I would argue that snooker, an offspring of billiards, ticks all the Olympic boxes.Not only are mental agility and numerical calculations used but the player has to manoeuvre the cue ball with the aid of a cue to play the desired shot in the correct fashion and the nominated pocket.
Snooker across the globe attracts large audiences especially in the United Kingdom, China and Germany. Fans pay for tickets because they wish to experience the live atmosphere and environment.
If snooker was introduced into the Olympics compendium, this cue sport would not only be able to be watched by an existing fan base but also opened up to a new global audience who had never seen the sport played before.
In addition, this would then allow World Snooker to push down barriers easier and devise tournament in uncharted world locations. From this would flow revenue via sponsorship.
Also the game would attract new players and talent over the medium to long term. In the future one might see a O’Sullivan or Higgins come from Japan or Africa.
One can also argue that snooker is a more valuable, Olympic asset to have compared to existing sports such as curling or BMX racing.
By bringing snooker into the Olympic fold, you open a Pandora’s box, showcasing the sport, expanding the market and proving that snooker is not just a Sunday afternoon pastime.
