Snooker’s Olympic bid will be boosted by back-to-back world champions from China, the sport’s top official said on Tuesday.
Wu Yize beat Shaun Murphy 18-17 in a tense world championship final on Monday to follow in the footsteps of compatriot Zhao Xintong, who became the first Asian world champion 12 months ago.
England has long been snooker’s traditional stronghold but China, home to almost 300,000 recognized snooker clubs, is the game’s growing force, fielding 11 of the 32 players in the world championship main draw in the past fortnight and five in the top 16 of the world rankings.
Snooker failed in bids to enter the Olympic program for the first time for the 2021 and 2024 Games, and may launch another attempt before the 2032 Olympics in Brisbane.
Jason Ferguson, chairman of the World Association of Billiards and Snooker Professionals, said the IOC “definitely has its eyes on our game” and the recent success of Chinese players at the Crucible Theater can only help.
“It’s very important,” Ferguson said in a telephone interview. “China is a very important country for the IOC – it has hosted the Games many times and they have invested a lot in sports, in terms of the IOC.
