Pool Part of olympics?
- Thread starter Monto P2
- Start date
I don't even think it has been an exhibition sport, or that any organization (other than snooker) has been recognized by the olympic committee(s).Monto P2 said:
Fat chance. Here is a link to a NY times article from 1920 on this exact topic. Looks like we've been trying for a while...
http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archiv...C163CE03AA15757C1A9659C946195D6CF&oref=slogin
-td
Well, no. The WCBS (pool, carom and snooker) has been recognized by the IOC since 1996 as the world governing body for cue sports. Cue sports have been in the World Games twice: Akita, Japan and Duisburg, Germany. For more information, go to http://www.billiard-wcbs.org/ and click on the "History" bar.td873 said:
There was another thread within the last week discussing this.
I guess my understanding has always been that the inability of the major organizations in pool to establish consistently agreed upon rules and formats for competition has always been a major turnoff for the IOC.
This makes sense to me on some level, because it's hard to argue in a foot race, for example, that if you run from the start line to the finish line in the fastest time, then you win. Or if a panel of 6 expert agree that you were the best, then you win.
In cue sports, it's a little different. Which game(s) do you play? What version of the rules for that game do you play? What should the format be? To me, if the pool world can't agree on these things, it's no wonder that the IOC would shy away from us. Add to that the bickering and boycotting, the failing tours and the pool rooms closing all over the world, and it's almost a no brainer for them.
Like everyone else, I hope to see the cue sports represented in the Olympics some day, but we've got a lot of work to do TOGETHER if that's ever going to happen.
This makes sense to me on some level, because it's hard to argue in a foot race, for example, that if you run from the start line to the finish line in the fastest time, then you win. Or if a panel of 6 expert agree that you were the best, then you win.
In cue sports, it's a little different. Which game(s) do you play? What version of the rules for that game do you play? What should the format be? To me, if the pool world can't agree on these things, it's no wonder that the IOC would shy away from us. Add to that the bickering and boycotting, the failing tours and the pool rooms closing all over the world, and it's almost a no brainer for them.
Like everyone else, I hope to see the cue sports represented in the Olympics some day, but we've got a lot of work to do TOGETHER if that's ever going to happen.
I don't think this is a factor. The WCBS has demonstrated a workable format in the World Games. Why do you think that format is not workable for the Olympics? The games played in the World Games are men's 9-ball, women's 9-ball, 3-cushion and snooker. The rules are set by the respective world governing bodies.spoons said:
Why would they put Pool/Billiards in the Olympics? It is only the second most popular participant sport on the planet, after soccer/football. It is the old stigma about pool that stops them. I've been hearing this from newspaper Sports Editors for decades. "Well, pool isn't really a sport, is it? It's a game!" Well, WTF is it then? I guess that Golf isn't a sport either for the same reasons. Don't they also say Baseball GAME, Basketball GAME, Football GAME? A GAME of Tennis! The list could go on forever. Like these other sports, Pool is both a sport and a game.
Game, sport, what's the difference? You have to have "hand-eye" coordination to play it. And it takes years to get good at it. Pool is only one of the hardest SPORTS that man has ever invented. When a Sports Editor says that to me, I want to strangle him. I will defend Pool to the death, and the extreme difficulty in excelling at it. It's harder than any other sport I know, including golf. The difference between success and failure is minute fractions of an inch.
Okay, I'm out of breath. :smile:
Game, sport, what's the difference? You have to have "hand-eye" coordination to play it. And it takes years to get good at it. Pool is only one of the hardest SPORTS that man has ever invented. When a Sports Editor says that to me, I want to strangle him. I will defend Pool to the death, and the extreme difficulty in excelling at it. It's harder than any other sport I know, including golf. The difference between success and failure is minute fractions of an inch.
Okay, I'm out of breath. :smile:
I've heard the "pool isn't a sport" argument too. As long as events like Archery and Shooting are in the Olympics, it's an argument I refuse to buy.
Edited to add:
It's also strange to me that "Shooting" doesn't seem to draw the same connections with gun violence that pool has drawn with gambling, drugs and whatnot. Does that seem like a double standard to anyone else?
Edited to add:
It's also strange to me that "Shooting" doesn't seem to draw the same connections with gun violence that pool has drawn with gambling, drugs and whatnot. Does that seem like a double standard to anyone else?
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Bob Jewett said:
It may not ultimately be a factor, but that was my understanding from the discussions I'd heard about it (admittedly, not from reliable sources), and it seemed to make sense to me. I don't know that I've ever seen an official opinion from the IOC.
Another question that I've often wondered about... Does anyone know how the sponsorship for the Olympics works? I could be mistaken, but I don't think there's any prize money involved. So, if the Olympics do finally accept cue sports, would the top tier players be able to afford to participate? Would companies like Predator, Diamond, Brunswick, etc. sponsor those players just on the basis of promoting the sport?
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Point noted.Bob Jewett said:
However, the IOC has denied pool as an olympic event (at least since the 1920's) and continues to do so into the new millennium. The rules in place now [limiting the number of sports, events and participants] seem to solidfy pool's place in obscurity at the olympic level.
Also, IMO, participation in the World Games is not equivalent to the olympics. In fact, weren't the World Games created for sports that were specifically not included in the Olympics. It's like being relegated to AAA basedball because you're not good enough for the big time. Actually, it's like creating AAA because you have no where else to play.
[edit: here are some sports included in the World Games: Fistball, disc golf, artistic roller skating, bocce, tug-of-war (once an olympic sport), finswimming, canoe polo, orienteering, and rock-n-roll dance. Seriously, which of these should be Olympic sports
]-td
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jay helfert said:
don't forget the game of chess !!!
I heard they are going to include Poker in the next olympics !!! :grin:
Hail Mary Shot said:
Right after darts.
When the national governing body (NGB) for a sport is recognized by the corresponding National Olympic Committee, the NOC usually provides funding for training and travel for the athletes. Several cue sports NGBs in Europe receive significant support from their NOCs. Olympic athletes have support during their training and certainly during their competition. Since cue sports are part of the Asian Games, I suspect that several countries in Asia have started giving official support to their participants.spoons said:
I don't know what's involved with sponsorship through the USOC, but usually you see larger companies involved like Home Depot, Coca Cola, etc.
Not exactly. Until the WCBS was formed, the IOC did not have an International Federation that it could reasonably recognize. Within a few years of the formation of the WCBS, it was recognized by the IOC as the world governing body for cue sports. So far as I know, the only discipline of cue sports that had a serious effort towards Olympic recognition was carom billiards led by Andre Gagnaux. See the Wikipedia article at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Confederation_of_Billiard_Sports for more info.td873 said:
let's see,
pool has no proper organization or structure, never has
no proven success as a commercial sport, at least not for decades
and no money to grease IOC officials
don't look good
pool has no proper organization or structure, never has
no proven success as a commercial sport, at least not for decades
and no money to grease IOC officials
don't look good
if and when, it would be a Euro contingent leading a carom charge or Chinese contingent leading a snooker charge
pocket billiards faces the toughest battle of the three
pocket billiards faces the toughest battle of the three