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KARACHI: The baize game which has been dropped from the list of disciplines of the 2014 17th Incheon Asian Games is also on verge of exclusion from the regional Indoor Games in the future.
“The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) has decided to drop those disciplines from the future Indoor Games that are not part of Incheon Asian Games,” Executive vice-president of Asian Confederation of Billiards Sports (ACBS), Asghar Valika, told Dawn on Tuesday.
He cited ‘financial constraints’ of the organisers of Incheon Asiad as the main reason behind cue sports dropout after remaining part of the movement from 1998 to 2010.
Valika, who returned from Bangkok on Sunday, had long deliberations with ACBS president, Sindhu Pulsirivong, on the issue on the sidelines of Snooker World Cup.
In addition, Valika also had fruitful discussions with WBPSA chairman, Jason Ferguson, during his trip to the Thai capital.
He said the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) has inked a deal with Thailand-based snooker academy “School of Excellence” which envisaged running six lessons in a year for 16 cueists apiece — 12 Thais and four from member Asian countries on first come first serve basis.
To be run by highly qualified professional coaches, the academy was inaugurated in Bangkok on Monday.
He added that a coaching academy for foreign coaches belonging to Asia would run concurrently in which countries which can’t afford to hire a coach could send their coaches for learning finer points of the game.
“It would also lessen the burden on many countries, including Pakistan, which faces paucity of funds in hiring a reputed coach, to avail the opportunity in grooming the skills of their own coaches in all areas of the game, he remarked.
Showering praise on Shahid Aftab and Mohammad Sajjad, the PBSA patron said Pakistan’s performance was far better then India which include former world champion, Pankaj Advani. “Pakistan seized 10 points from four games whereas India could only muster five points from four outings,” he added.
Valika went on to say that WPBSA has struck another deal with Thailand snooker body in which it has secured hosting rights of the Snooker World Cup for next six years. The mega would be held once in two years, he added.
He disclosed China and India have shown their interest in staging the World Cup in the future.
The WPBSA, he added, would be hosting a ranking tournament from February 22 to 28 next year that will feature 22 cueists — 16 ranking players, four wildcard to India and two to ACBS.
The venue, he said, would be announced later.Valika, who has served as PBSA president for two decades before elevating to the position of patron, said the constitution of ACBS is being revised in which the body having a strength of 33 nations, would be divided into four zones each to be headed by a vice-president and the Board members would cease to exist.
To a question, he said the countries, particularly from Middle East, were split on the issue of Syria as a host for the 2012 Asian championship in view of law and order situation. “They were of the opinion that second bidder Qatar should be replaced to host Asian spectacle,” he said.
He said the ACBS has set Aug 9 as a deadline to decide the fate of Syria as it requires at least six months advance planning to finalise logistics of participants etc.
Valika, who is also adviser to UAE government on cue sports, said he was trying to convene a meeting of representatives of Syria and Qatar in Dubai soon to resolve the matter amicably.
