PBSA wants snooker made part of National Games

KARACHI: The Pakistan Billiards & Snooker Association (PBSA) has approached the Federal Ministry of Inter-Provincial Coordination (IPC) as well as the Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) for inclusion of snooker among the listed disciplines in the 34th National Games 2023 due to be staged at Quetta during May.

“Having learnt that snooker didn’t feature in the list of disciplines to be contested in the upcoming National Games, we have submitted requests to the Federal Minister IPC as well as the POA President to use their good offices to have the sport of snooker, which has earned medals for the country regularly in the recent past, to be inducted in the list,” Jawed H Karim, President, PBSA, revealed in a chat with ‘The News’ here at the Karachi Club on Saturday.

“We have drawn the attention of the Federal Minister IPC as well as the POA President that snooker happens to be one of the most prominent and popular games being played in Pakistan besides being a medal sport. Therefore, it certainly deserves to be included in the list of disciplines at the National Games being held in Quetta,” the PBSA President reckoned.

“Furthermore, we have also requested the Federal Minister IPC and the POA President to support our snooker players who represent Pakistan in the Asian Championships as well as the World Championships every year besides the Asian Games and have earned laurels for Pakistan, which are on record,” Jawed Karim highlighted.

“Our cueists Muhammad Yousuf (1994), Muhammad Asif (2012 and 2019) and Ahsan Ramzan (2021) have captured world titles while Muhammad Yousuf (1998) and Hamza Akbar (2015) also won Asian crown. Pakistan’s Shaukat Ali won a gold medal in snooker in the 1998 Asian Games in Bangkok,” the PBSA President recalled, adding that the as many as 20 gold medals, 17 silver medals and 36 bronze medals have been won by Pakistan in various snooker events over the years.

“The snooker players are striving hard for our beloved country in international competitions while the PBSA is endeavouring continuously to promote snooker in Pakistan as well as in the global circuit,” he pointed out.

“With such a fantastic track record, depriving the snooker players by not allowing their participation in the National Games 2023 could be a great setback for the game. Therefore, in the larger interest of sports in the country, we have requested and appealed for the inclusion of snooker in the National Games at Quetta,” the PBSA President said.