Pankaj Advani: Disappointed billiards, snooker not part of National Games

Indian cueist Pankaj Advani has expressed his disappointment on the exclusion of billiards and snooker within the upcoming Nationwide Video games scheduled in Gujarat this month.

“It comes as an important disappointment that Billiards and Snooker has not been included within the Nationwide Video games this yr in Gujarat. As per the IDA directive, Billiards & Snooker have been a part of the 2019 Nationwide Video games which have been scheduled to be held in Goa. Nonetheless, this can be very unlucky that our sport has been excluded from the deferred version which is to be held in Sep/Oct, 2022,” Advani, a 23-time IBSF World Champion, wrote in a letter to the Union Sports activities Minister Anurag Thakur.

Advani emphasised the impression illustration on the Nationwide Video games would have on cue sports activities in India.

“Governments and PSUs honour and reward Nationwide Video games medalists handsomely and it's only honest that the Billiards and Snooker fraternity ought to get a chance to vie for these honours. Billiards and Snooker is a precedence sport as per the Sports activities Code constitution and dropping it can have critical repercussions on the way forward for the sport,” Advani added.

The multi-event sporting showcase returns after a niche of seven years. It was final held in Kerala in 2015. 

The Nationwide Video games will probably be held throughout six cities of Gujarat — Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, Surat, Vadodara, Rajkot and Bhavnagar. Gujarat will host the Nationwide Video games for the primary time. This would be the thirty sixth version of the Nationwide Video games, and an estimated 7,000 athletes will participate throughout 36 sporting disciplines. The Video games will see participation from all 28 states and eight Union Territories