KARACHI: Ali Asghar Valika, who served as President of the Pakistan Billiards & Snooker Association (PBSA) for a couple of decades, has welcomed the induction of Thailand’s Sindhu Pulsirivong into the world snooker Hall of Fame.
He said on Wednesday that he was delighted to know that Sindhu, the long-serving President of the Billiard Sports Association of Thailand (BSAT), had become the first Asian to be inducted into the elite list. “It’s equally heartening to note that he has also created history of sorts by becoming the first non-player recipient of the award, which had previously been strictly the domain of the top players from the United Kingdom and Ireland,” Valika added.
Sindhu, who is also President of the World Professional Snooker and Billiards Association (WPBSA), was inducted into world snooker Hall of Fame, alongside former World Champion Stuart Bingham and Rex Williams in the sport’s annual awards ceremony in London.
“He deserved the recognition at the highest level that has come his way now. He has been a great supporter of snooker over the years,” Valika, who headed the Asian Confederation of Billiards Sports (ACBS) for six years, said.
“This is the most prestigious award in snooker and his extraordinary services have now been appropriately recognised. I firmly believe that this will encourage the snooker administrators and organisers all over the world, particularly in Asia,” he added.
The snooker careers of Valika and Sindhu have had quite a few similarities. Both were elected to lead their respective federations of cue sports in 1988.
They went on to lead the ACBS besides holding key slots in the International Billiards and Snooker Federation (IBSF).
Both are revered in the snooker circles globally for their monumental contributions to the sport.
