WPA Failure: International Olympic Committee

justnum

justnum

Billiards Improvement Research Projects Associate
Silver Member
Rock Climbing was selected as an olympic sport.

The International Federation of Sport Climbing site clearly describes the growth and success in leagues and membership. Contrast that with the World Pool Association the only facts on display are events. Is the WPA up to date on their marketing strategy for IOC? No.


https://www.ifsc-climbing.org/index.php/media-centre/key-figures-2


IOC website claims why new sports such as climbing was added. Billiards can does have a youth focus, it is established and it is more inclusive in terms of age, gender, body type and income level.

However those facts are no where on the WPA website. The WPA is not maintaining the standards on record keeping and publishing annual data about membership, growth and international success.

https://www.olympic.org/news/ioc-approves-five-new-sports-for-olympic-games-tokyo-2020
THE FIVE SPORTS ARE AN INNOVATIVE COMBINATION OF ESTABLISHED AND EMERGING, YOUTH-FOCUSED EVENTS THAT ARE POPULAR IN JAPAN AND WILL ADD TO THE LEGACY OF THE TOKYO GAMES....

The IOC considered a variety of factors when assessing the proposal, including the impact on gender equality, the youth appeal of the sports and the legacy value of adding them to the Tokyo Games.
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Very upsetting. Next thing you know, hot dog eating will become an Olympic sport. :embarrassed2:
 
Dave Mackay said:
WOW that video is crazy the second cycle one even crazier!!
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The website is impressive compared to the WPA because it has promotional materials, instructional material for becoming a recognized stacking organization and hosting tournaments. In addition to content for growing the sport, there are records being updated in Guinness Book.

The website alone shows how far behind the WPA is in terms of its online presence.
 
As a former climber, I really don't see this as an Olympic sport. But, it has been added, so so be it.
Why billiards, in any form, is not in the Olympics, is beyond me. If ping-pong, (sorry, TABLE-TENNIS!), badminton and curling can be there, why not billiards?
Really mystifying.
 
Easy...no $$$ being spread around to the people who make those decisions...period. Sports being admitted to the Olympics is all about the money.

Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com

jamnut said:
As a former climber, I really don't see this as an Olympic sport. But, it has been added, so so be it.
Why billiards, in any form, is not in the Olympics, is beyond me. If ping-pong, (sorry, TABLE-TENNIS!), badminton and curling can be there, why not billiards?
Really mystifying.
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Yes, I have seen both of those at the Olympics, I make it a point to watch them both at every Olympics.
Billiards requires just as much skill as those sports, (without as much running, unless you are Tony Drago), so why can they be included, and not billiards?
Sorry to have offended your ping-pong and badminton sensibilities.
 
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jamnut said:
As a former climber, I really don't see this as an Olympic sport. But, it has been added, so so be it.
Why billiards, in any form, is not in the Olympics, is beyond me. If ping-pong, (sorry, TABLE-TENNIS!), badminton and curling can be there, why not billiards?
Really mystifying.
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Not really. I'm going from memory alone, and invite corrections.

The BCA took the path that would give pool a chance to gain Olympic status. The first step on this path was to get the sport into the World Games. That goal was achieved by BCA Executive Director Steve Ducoff in, if I recall correctly, 2001. Had pool garnered enough attention as a sport in the World Games, it would have become an Olympic demonstration sport, which would have put it in good position to become an Olympic sport. Unfortunately, pool was not a big enough success at the World Games to make it to the next step, so the process fizzled.

As for climbing, it's like snowboarding --- a fast growing sport garnering more and more attention. That's why snowboarding got in not so long ago, and that's why climbing is on its way in to the Games.
 
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sjm said:
Not really. I'm going from memory alone, and invite

The BCA took the path that would give pool a chance to gain Olympic status. The first step on this path was to get the sport into the World Games. That goal was achieved by BCA Executive Director Steve Ducoff in, if I recall correctly, 2001. Had pool garnered enough attention as a sport in the World Games, it would have become an Olympic demonstration sport, which would have put it in good position to become an Olympic sport. Unfortunately, pool was not a big enough success at the World Games to make it to the next step, so the process fizzled.

As for climbing, it's like snowboarding --- a fast growing sport garnering more and more attention. That's why snowboarding got in not so long ago, and that's why climbing is on its way in to the Games.
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In the ABR interview WPA bigwig explained licenses and membership and IOC application. However on the WPA website there is no mission statement, no strategic plan to develop the sport, no data on the status if the industry and no direction for the future of the sport.

How can players promote the sport without leadership?

If BCA made a play, then the WPA looks like they are not going to try to make the sport presentable to anyone.
 
jamnut said:
Yes, I have seen both of those at the Olympics, I make it a point to watch them both at every Olympics.
Billiards requires just as much skill as those sports, (without as much running, unless you are Tony Drago), so why can they be included, and not billiards?
Sorry to have offended your ping-pong and badminton sensibilities.
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You certainly didn't offend my sensibilities. I just didn't know whether you were familiar with high-level table tennis and badminton (as opposed to the basement and back yard varieties), so I posted a couple samples.
 
justinb386 said:
Wow, that was amazing. I was really in awe of that 3rd video down.
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Cup stacking is great, but I hear runway modeling is the next big thing.

It already has weight classes and gender divisions.

All they need to bypass billiards is a international sanctioning body and they will make as much progress as billiards has under the WPA.

Speed drawing and online gaming are other hopefuls I have.
 
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justnum said:
Rock Climbing was selected as an olympic sport.

The International Federation of Sport Climbing site clearly describes the growth and success in leagues and membership. Contrast that with the World Pool Association the only facts on display are events. Is the WPA up to date on their marketing strategy for IOC? No.


https://www.ifsc-climbing.org/index.php/media-centre/key-figures-2


IOC website claims why new sports such as climbing was added. Billiards can does have a youth focus, it is established and it is more inclusive in terms of age, gender, body type and income level.

However those facts are no where on the WPA website. The WPA is not maintaining the standards on record keeping and publishing annual data about membership, growth and international success.

https://www.olympic.org/news/ioc-approves-five-new-sports-for-olympic-games-tokyo-2020
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From reading the IOC article, it appears that the new sports were nominated by the Japan organizing committee. So these sports are probably very popular or the "next big thing" in Japan at the moment. Billiards may not be the very popular and therefore given less consideration. I would imagine popular national sports are regularly added to an Olympic games held in each particular country/city. From these, the sports that have the best showing are then added permanently. I believe that is how Curling first appeared in the winter games.

Then again, I may be completely wrong about all of this.

Now, if they ever have the Olympics in the Phillipines...
 
On the other hand...

justnum said:
Rock Climbing was selected as an olympic sport.

The International Federation of Sport Climbing site clearly describes the growth and success in leagues and membership. Contrast that with the World Pool Association the only facts on display are events. Is the WPA up to date on their marketing strategy for IOC? No.


https://www.ifsc-climbing.org/index.php/media-centre/key-figures-2


IOC website claims why new sports such as climbing was added. Billiards can does have a youth focus, it is established and it is more inclusive in terms of age, gender, body type and income level.

However those facts are no where on the WPA website. The WPA is not maintaining the standards on record keeping and publishing annual data about membership, growth and international success.

https://www.olympic.org/news/ioc-approves-five-new-sports-for-olympic-games-tokyo-2020
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Aside from what I said previously, I completely agree with your assessment of the WPA and their failure to support, market, and develop the game of billiards.
 
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