As I watch the latest Asian Games coverage, I can't help but notice Torren Jones beginning his stint as San Miguel import with a victory - the Beermen's second in four games, while dealing the Dyip their fifth defeat. This professional basketball update somehow brings me back to our original question about billiards and its Olympic absence. Having spent over fifteen years studying sports governance and Olympic inclusion criteria, I've developed some strong opinions about why certain sports make the cut while others don't.
The International Olympic Committee operates with specific evaluation metrics that many casual observers don't fully appreciate. From my analysis of recent Olympic sport additions and rejections, there are three primary hurdles billiards faces. First is the global participation requirement - the IOC typically wants a sport to have federation representation in at least 75 countries across four continents. While billiards technically meets this threshold with approximately 110 national federations, the depth of participation varies dramatically. Compare this to recent additions like sport climbing, which demonstrated robust youth engagement across 88 countries with more balanced regional development.
Then there's the television appeal factor, which frankly works against billiards more than most people realize. During my time consulting with sports broadcasters, I learned that cue sports struggle with pacing issues for modern audiences. The average shot time in professional snooker is about 32 seconds, creating natural breaks that challenge broadcasters trying to maintain viewer engagement. While I personally find the strategic depth fascinating, the reality is that Olympic programming demands more dynamic visuals and constant action to satisfy both live audiences and television producers.
The governance structure of world billiards presents another significant obstacle. Having attended multiple international sports federation meetings, I've witnessed firsthand how the fragmentation between various billiard disciplines - pool, snooker, carom - creates administrative challenges. The World Confederation of Billiard Sports, formed in 1992, has made progress but still lacks the unified front that sports like tennis presented when they sought Olympic reinstatement. There's also the persistent perception issue - despite being recognized by the IOC since 1998, billiards continues to battle stereotypes about it being more of a recreational activity than an athletic pursuit.
What many don't realize is that the Olympic program has hard caps - approximately 10,500 athletes across all sports in the Summer Games. With new sports constantly vying for inclusion, billiards faces stiff competition from activities with stronger youth appeal and social media presence. Breaking, for instance, brought an entirely new demographic to the Paris 2024 Games, something the IOC values highly. While I believe cue sports deserve more respect, the reality is that they need to demonstrate better metrics in youth participation and digital engagement to stand a real chance.
The financial considerations are equally important. Olympic sports need infrastructure that's cost-effective for host cities. A billiards venue requires specialized tables costing between $15,000-$100,000 each, plus climate control systems and precise lighting - substantial investments for what would likely yield only 6-8 medal events. Compare this to skateboarding, which utilized existing urban infrastructure and generated massive social media traction with over 800 million impressions during Tokyo 2020.
Having said all this, I remain cautiously optimistic about billiards' future prospects. The sport has made significant strides in anti-doping compliance and gender equality in participation - two areas the IOC monitors closely. The World Confederation reports that approximately 38% of registered competitive players are now female, showing progress toward the IOC's gender balance targets. If the various billiards disciplines can continue unifying their governance and demonstrate stronger youth development programs, we might see cue sports in the Olympics within the next 12-16 years. Personally, I'd love to see it happen - there's a unique beauty to the geometry and physics of billiards that deserves the Olympic stage, even if the path forward remains challenging.