Rocket Ronnie O'Sullivan deserves gold: Why the Olympics should have snooker at the front of the cue
Far from being a 'pub game', snooker requires more skill, nerve and tactics than most other Olympic events - and it's recognised by the IOC as a sport.
by Alex Alsworth on 08 May 2008
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As another thrilling world championship comes to a close, surely it's about time snooker was recognised as an Olympic event.
The popularity of the sport, although perhaps concentrated in Britain and the Far East, is huge, with far more of an audience than other Olympic "events" such as shooting and the ridiculous synchronised swimming.
It also would provide more global competition than one-sided events like basketball and softball, which the USA have walked for years. Having said that, it doesn’t hurt that British snooker players would have a great chance of medals. Earlier in the year, some appealed for tug of war to be brought back, mainly on the basis that Britain were damn good at it back in the day!
Cynics would argue that snooker doesn’t involve the sweat and brawn of an Olympic event, and it has often been labelled as nothing more than a "pub game". But snooker is a sport which requires skill, stamina and strategy. I ask anyone who disagrees to ask Ronnie O’Sullivan or Ali Carter whether there was any skill involved in their stunning 147 breaks last week.
Besides, is archery really that much more physical?
There is also a huge amount of investment in the game of snooker - this year's world championships saw O’Sullivan earn a cool £328,500 for his victory. This is a sport which millions care about, and is China’s second sport behind baseball. Last month’s China Open saw players rubbing shoulders with Hollywood star Jet Li.
Had snooker been part of this year’s Olympics, it would have allowed Ding Junhui - a sporting behemoth in China - to compete and also be a huge draw for the home crowd. Yes, the Olympics are to celebrate amateur sports, but that has not stopped tennis stars taking the stage.
The shortlist for sports to be introduced to the 2012 Olympics as replacement for the voted-out baseball and softball includes karate, squash, and golf. Fair enough you may say, but I would argue that they bring nothing new to the Olympic experience.
Racquet sports have a long history in the games - with tennis and badminton more than enough - and martial arts fans already have judo and taekwondo to enjoy. Besides, what better place to introduce snooker to the Olympic platform than old Blighty?
What snooker offers is an unparalleled atmosphere of tension, unique spectacle, and a host of characters to entertain the Olympic audience - not to mention a fighting chance for us Brits to win a gold medal.
Billiard sports are recognised by the IOC as a sport, which means the potential is there for it to be selected. Unfortunately, so is chess - and it’s hard to see a Grandmaster winning a gold medal any time soon!
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