World Confederation of Billiard Sports
Encyclopedia
The World Confederation of Billiard Sports (WCBS, sometimes called the World Confederation of Billiards Sports) is the international umbrella organization encompassing the major cue sports (billiards-type games), including carom billiards, pool
games of several varieties, and snooker
. The confederation is relatively new, having been founded in 1992. Its current headquarters are in Sint-Martens-Latem
, Belgium. Jean-Claude Dupont is the current President since 2010. There are 148 affiliated national federations. It, in turn, is affiliated with many international sports organizations such as the International Olympic Committee
(IOC), General Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF), International World Games Association
(IWGA) and Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF). Its statutes, practices and activities all conform to the Olympic Charter
.
.
The WCBS serves as platform for its associated groups: The Union Mondiale de Billard
(UMB); the World Pool-Billiard Association
(WPA); the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association
(WPBSA) and its amateur counterpart, the International Billiards and Snooker Federation
(IBSF), These groups work closely together, but the independence of each organization is maintained and respected. As a result, unlike other international sports organizations, the WCBS does not set the rules of the sports nor organize any international competition itself. Instead, these functions are carried out by the associated organizations.
(IOC). Moreover, cue sports did not meet the official definition of a sport. These were the main obstacles to gaining approval for the inclusion of cue sports in the Olympic Games, despite many attempts to achieve Olympic recognition that have been made since the 1950s.
In 1985, André Gagnaux
of Switzerland became the new president of the UMB, the world governing body for carom billiards. In an attempt to achieve Olympic recognition, he contacted the WPBSA, the governing body of professional snooker, to discuss the possibility of forming a governing body for all cue sports. There was no world governing body for pool at that time. Nonetheless, his first attempt failed as he could not convince the WPBSA why it would be important for them to achieve IOC recognition, and what possible cooperation with the UMB could do to further their goals.
in 1990, Gagnaux contacted the WPBSA again. This time he was more successful. In order to fulfill the conditions set by the IOC, the representatives of the governing bodies of the three main cue sports convened on August 30, 1990, at a historic meeting in Bristol
, UK, with the WPBSA as the host. It is the first time representatives of the three divisions gathered around one table. As a result, it was decided to form the World Confederation of Billiard Sports (WCBS), an umbrella organization encompassing all billiards sports, and a three-man committee (consisting of Mr. Gagnaux for carom, Jorgen Sandman for pool and Mark Wildman
for Snooker) was appointed to write the first constitution for the new organization. Eighteen months were spent devising a way to enable the various disciplines to work closely together, while maintaining their independence. The inaugural General Assembly of the WCBS was held in Yverdon-les-Bains
, Switzerland on January 25, 1992. A board consisting of 9 delegates was elected with three representatives from each founding member: the UMB, the WPA and the new World Snooker Federation (WSF), formed by cooperation between the WPBSA and the IBSF. The office of President rotated, so that all three divisions take a turn at heading the organization.
, Germany in March 2003. The IBSF representatives, although formally invited, did not show up for this meeting. This did not prevent the WCBS from deciding to declare the snooker component of the WCBS temporarily vacant. However, since the WSF had no independent existence apart from the WPBSA and the IBSF, following the WPBSA withdrawal no actual WSF organization could be founded. The IBSF, displeased with this decision, turned to the IOC Court of Arbitration for Sports in Lausanne
, Switzerland on May 30, 2003. The CAS delivered its final decision on January 20, 2004, and the WCBS won the case on all counts. Since then the WPBSA has returned to the WCBS, now in its own right as a direct member. IBSF remains a member as well, and the WSF has dissolved.
Since the election of Pascal Guillaume in late 2004, all parties have agreed to try and work constructively together for the future benefit of the sport. Pascal has pledged a policy of unification.
, Finland. However, the WCBS application failed to make it into the agenda of the AGM (Annual General Meeting), so the two WCBS representatives at this meeting, (André Gagnaux and Jorgen Sandman), could only listen and learn. In October 1994, when the GAISF AGM took place in Monte Carlo
, Monaco, the WCBS application was on the agenda. The President for Judo doubted that billiards could really be considered a sport, beginning a long discussion with many speaking out on both sides of the issue. Therefore, a compromise was worked out wherein the GAISF would have to define what constituted a sport first... meaning the issue would have to be tabled for a year.
Meanwhile, the IOC had responded to their application for recognition by stating that the WCBS was too new, so any possible IOC recognition could not be granted immediately. The IOC also recommended that the WCBS should apply for membership with the GAISF, stating that "whilst this is not a prerequisite, the IOC would look favorably on a WCBS membership with the GAISF."
In October 1995 the GAISF Congress and General Assembly was held in Seoul
, Korea. André Gagnaux was ill and hospitalized so the WCBS delegation was led by Jorgen Sandman, who was accompanied by Nigel Oldfield (Great Britain) and Massimino Del Prete (Italy). The WCBS had learned from the failures of 1993 and 1994, and was better prepared to present its case. The main feature of their presentation was a glossy brochure entitled Right on Cue, a professional overview of billiards sports, which was distributed among the delegates. The WCBS also hosted a cocktail reception for the approximately 500 attending officials. At AGM, the WCBS finally became a provisional member of the GAISF. Any new organization entering the GAISF must first be a provisional member for two years before they are accepted as a full member with voting rights.
(ARISF). An application for membership with the International World Games Association
(IWGA) was also filed shortly thereafter, and at the 1997 IWGA AGM it was decided that the WCBS would be granted membership as of January 1, 1998.
On 5 February 1998, the IOC granted the WCBS full recognition, clarifying the status of billiards sports as true sports. Later, the GAISF accepted the WCBS as a full member at the 1999 AGM and the IWGA decided to include billiards sports into the program of the 2001
Akita
World Games
.
The WCBS also applied for the inclusion in the 2004 Summer Olympics
. Among 15 other sports that had applied for inclusion, the Greek Olympic Committee decided to consider five, billiards sports among them. They selected two sports out of the five, with billiards sports ending up as their third choice.
. There were 10 medals of cue sports in the 1998 Asian Games
.
Participation at the 2002 Asian Games
in Pusan, Korea was in jeopardy, mostly due to financial concerns that the host city had. But, in the end, billiards sports were in competition for 10 medals. Later, they were included in the 2006 Asian Games
in Doha
, Qatar
.
The WCBS has also tried to get billiards sports included in the Commonwealth Games
. While the WCBS has been accepted as a member of the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF), the attempt at inclusion has not yet succeeded.
Attempts from WCBS have also been made for inclusion into other events like the Pan-American Games, the All-Africa Games
and the Mediterranean Games
.
Pocket billiards
Pool, also more formally known as pocket billiards or pool billiards , is the family of cue sports and games played on a pool table having six receptacles called pockets along the , into which balls are deposited as the main goal of play. Popular versions include eight-ball and nine-ball...
games of several varieties, and snooker
Snooker
Snooker is a cue sport that is played on a green baize-covered table with pockets in each of the four corners and in the middle of each of the long side cushions. A regular table is . It is played using a cue and snooker balls: one white , 15 worth one point each, and six balls of different :...
. The confederation is relatively new, having been founded in 1992. Its current headquarters are in Sint-Martens-Latem
Sint-Martens-Latem
Sint-Martens-Latem is a municipality located in the Flemish province of East Flanders, in Belgium. The municipality comprises the towns of Deurle and Sint-Martens-Latem proper. On January 1, 2006 Sint-Martens-Latem had a total population of 8,280...
, Belgium. Jean-Claude Dupont is the current President since 2010. There are 148 affiliated national federations. It, in turn, is affiliated with many international sports organizations such as the International Olympic Committee
International Olympic Committee
The International Olympic Committee is an international corporation based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin on 23 June 1894 with Demetrios Vikelas as its first president...
(IOC), General Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF), International World Games Association
International World Games Association
The International World Games Association is an international association, recognized by the IOC, that organizes every four years since 1981 the multi-sport event called the World Games.-Member federations:...
(IWGA) and Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF). Its statutes, practices and activities all conform to the Olympic Charter
Olympic Charter
The Olympic Charter, last updated March 21, 1992, is a set of rules and guidelines for the organization of the Olympic Games, and for governing the Olympic Movement. Adopted by International Olympic Committee , it is the codification of the Fundamental Principles, Rules and By-laws. French and...
.
Role
The primary aim of WCBS is to establish billiard-type sports as medal events in as many multiple-sports competitions as possible, on both regional and world levels. The ultimate goal of WCBS is to have billiard sports included in the Olympic GamesOlympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
.
The WCBS serves as platform for its associated groups: The Union Mondiale de Billard
Union Mondiale de Billard
The Union Mondiale de Billard is the world governing body for carom billiard games. The organization was founded in Madrid, Spain on 1 June 1959, and is dedicated to promoting the modern carom billiards games...
(UMB); the World Pool-Billiard Association
World Pool-Billiard Association
The World Pool-Billiard Association is the international governing body for pocket billiards . The group was formed in 1987, and was initially headed by a provisional board of directors consisting of representatives from Japan, the United States, Sweden, and Germany...
(WPA); the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association
World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association
The World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association, often abbreviated to the WPBSA, founded in 1968 and based in Bristol, England, United Kingdom is the governing body of professional snooker and English billiards...
(WPBSA) and its amateur counterpart, the International Billiards and Snooker Federation
International Billiards and Snooker Federation
The International Billiards & Snooker Federation is the organisation that governs non-professional snooker and English billiards around the world . The organization is presently headquartered in Reims, France.-History:...
(IBSF), These groups work closely together, but the independence of each organization is maintained and respected. As a result, unlike other international sports organizations, the WCBS does not set the rules of the sports nor organize any international competition itself. Instead, these functions are carried out by the associated organizations.
History
Before the establishment of WCBS in 1992, there was no single organization representing all cue sports, which was necessary to meet the requirements of the International Olympic CommitteeInternational Olympic Committee
The International Olympic Committee is an international corporation based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin on 23 June 1894 with Demetrios Vikelas as its first president...
(IOC). Moreover, cue sports did not meet the official definition of a sport. These were the main obstacles to gaining approval for the inclusion of cue sports in the Olympic Games, despite many attempts to achieve Olympic recognition that have been made since the 1950s.
In 1985, André Gagnaux
André Gagnaux
André Gagnaux , who was a Swiss, was the first President of the World Confederation of Billiard Sports and the former President of the Union Mondiale de Billard ....
of Switzerland became the new president of the UMB, the world governing body for carom billiards. In an attempt to achieve Olympic recognition, he contacted the WPBSA, the governing body of professional snooker, to discuss the possibility of forming a governing body for all cue sports. There was no world governing body for pool at that time. Nonetheless, his first attempt failed as he could not convince the WPBSA why it would be important for them to achieve IOC recognition, and what possible cooperation with the UMB could do to further their goals.
Founding and organization
Following the founding of the WPA as the international governing body for pool and their successful organization of the first WPA World Nine-ball ChampionshipWPA World Nine-ball Championship
The WPA World Nine-ball Championship is an annual, international, professional nine-ball pool tournament, founded in 1990, sanctioned by the World Pool-Billiard Association , and principally sponsored and organised by Matchroom Sport...
in 1990, Gagnaux contacted the WPBSA again. This time he was more successful. In order to fulfill the conditions set by the IOC, the representatives of the governing bodies of the three main cue sports convened on August 30, 1990, at a historic meeting in Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
, UK, with the WPBSA as the host. It is the first time representatives of the three divisions gathered around one table. As a result, it was decided to form the World Confederation of Billiard Sports (WCBS), an umbrella organization encompassing all billiards sports, and a three-man committee (consisting of Mr. Gagnaux for carom, Jorgen Sandman for pool and Mark Wildman
Mark Wildman
Mark Wildman is an English snooker and pool commentator, and a retired professional player of snooker and English billiards...
for Snooker) was appointed to write the first constitution for the new organization. Eighteen months were spent devising a way to enable the various disciplines to work closely together, while maintaining their independence. The inaugural General Assembly of the WCBS was held in Yverdon-les-Bains
Yverdon-les-Bains
Yverdon-les-Bains is a municipality in the district of Jura-Nord vaudois of the canton of Vaud in Switzerland. It is the seat of the district...
, Switzerland on January 25, 1992. A board consisting of 9 delegates was elected with three representatives from each founding member: the UMB, the WPA and the new World Snooker Federation (WSF), formed by cooperation between the WPBSA and the IBSF. The office of President rotated, so that all three divisions take a turn at heading the organization.
Dissension
The year 2003 was a stormy one following a domestic dispute within the WCBS. In September 2002 the WPBSA informed the IBSF that it was no longer interested in cooperating with the latter, and the WPBSA withdrew from the WCBS. For whatever reason, the IBSF failed to share this information with the WCBS board, and it was only due to rumors that the WCBS finally got wind of the situation. Having failed to impress the IBSF about the importance of ironing out this new dispute, a board meeting was held in BottropBottrop
Bottrop is a city in west central Germany, on the Rhine-Herne Canal, in North Rhine-Westphalia. Located in the Ruhr industrial area, Bottrop adjoins Essen, Oberhausen, Gladbeck and Dorsten. The city had been a coal-mining and rail center and contains factories producing coal-tar derivatives,...
, Germany in March 2003. The IBSF representatives, although formally invited, did not show up for this meeting. This did not prevent the WCBS from deciding to declare the snooker component of the WCBS temporarily vacant. However, since the WSF had no independent existence apart from the WPBSA and the IBSF, following the WPBSA withdrawal no actual WSF organization could be founded. The IBSF, displeased with this decision, turned to the IOC Court of Arbitration for Sports in Lausanne
Lausanne
Lausanne is a city in Romandy, the French-speaking part of Switzerland, and is the capital of the canton of Vaud. The seat of the district of Lausanne, the city is situated on the shores of Lake Geneva . It faces the French town of Évian-les-Bains, with the Jura mountains to its north-west...
, Switzerland on May 30, 2003. The CAS delivered its final decision on January 20, 2004, and the WCBS won the case on all counts. Since then the WPBSA has returned to the WCBS, now in its own right as a direct member. IBSF remains a member as well, and the WSF has dissolved.
Since the election of Pascal Guillaume in late 2004, all parties have agreed to try and work constructively together for the future benefit of the sport. Pascal has pledged a policy of unification.
GAISF Membership
In 1992, the first goal for the newly formed WCBS was to gain recognition by the IOC and obtain membership in the General Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF). In October 1993, the WCBS was invited to be an observer at the GAISF Congress and General Assembly in LahtiLahti
Lahti is a city and municipality in Finland.Lahti is the capital of the Päijänne Tavastia region. It is situated on a bay at the southern end of lake Vesijärvi about north-east of the capital Helsinki...
, Finland. However, the WCBS application failed to make it into the agenda of the AGM (Annual General Meeting), so the two WCBS representatives at this meeting, (André Gagnaux and Jorgen Sandman), could only listen and learn. In October 1994, when the GAISF AGM took place in Monte Carlo
Monte Carlo
Monte Carlo is an administrative area of the Principality of Monaco....
, Monaco, the WCBS application was on the agenda. The President for Judo doubted that billiards could really be considered a sport, beginning a long discussion with many speaking out on both sides of the issue. Therefore, a compromise was worked out wherein the GAISF would have to define what constituted a sport first... meaning the issue would have to be tabled for a year.
Meanwhile, the IOC had responded to their application for recognition by stating that the WCBS was too new, so any possible IOC recognition could not be granted immediately. The IOC also recommended that the WCBS should apply for membership with the GAISF, stating that "whilst this is not a prerequisite, the IOC would look favorably on a WCBS membership with the GAISF."
In October 1995 the GAISF Congress and General Assembly was held in Seoul
Seoul
Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...
, Korea. André Gagnaux was ill and hospitalized so the WCBS delegation was led by Jorgen Sandman, who was accompanied by Nigel Oldfield (Great Britain) and Massimino Del Prete (Italy). The WCBS had learned from the failures of 1993 and 1994, and was better prepared to present its case. The main feature of their presentation was a glossy brochure entitled Right on Cue, a professional overview of billiards sports, which was distributed among the delegates. The WCBS also hosted a cocktail reception for the approximately 500 attending officials. At AGM, the WCBS finally became a provisional member of the GAISF. Any new organization entering the GAISF must first be a provisional member for two years before they are accepted as a full member with voting rights.
IOC Recognition and Participation in the World Games
In July 1996, the IOC decided to grant the WCBS a provisional recognition for two years. In September of the same year the WCBS became a member of the Association of IOC Recognised International Sports FederationsAssociation of IOC Recognised International Sports Federations
The Association of IOC Recognised International Sports Federations is a non-governmental, non-profit, non-discriminatory organisation constituted through and recognised by the International Olympic Committee. . It was formed in 1983...
(ARISF). An application for membership with the International World Games Association
International World Games Association
The International World Games Association is an international association, recognized by the IOC, that organizes every four years since 1981 the multi-sport event called the World Games.-Member federations:...
(IWGA) was also filed shortly thereafter, and at the 1997 IWGA AGM it was decided that the WCBS would be granted membership as of January 1, 1998.
On 5 February 1998, the IOC granted the WCBS full recognition, clarifying the status of billiards sports as true sports. Later, the GAISF accepted the WCBS as a full member at the 1999 AGM and the IWGA decided to include billiards sports into the program of the 2001
World Games 2001
The sixth World Games were held in 2001 in Akita, Japan.-Sports:Official sports-Medal count:...
Akita
Akita, Akita
is the capital city of Akita Prefecture in the Tohoku region of Japan.As of June 11, 2005, with the merger of the former Kawabe District , the city has an estimated population of 323,310 and density of...
World Games
World Games
The World Games, first held in 1981, are an international multi-sport event, meant for sports, or disciplines or events within a sport, that are not contested in the Olympic Games...
.
The WCBS also applied for the inclusion in the 2004 Summer Olympics
2004 Summer Olympics
The 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens, Greece from August 13 to August 29, 2004 with the motto Welcome Home. 10,625 athletes competed, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team...
. Among 15 other sports that had applied for inclusion, the Greek Olympic Committee decided to consider five, billiards sports among them. They selected two sports out of the five, with billiards sports ending up as their third choice.
Cue Sports in Other Events
Apart from the 2001 World Games, cue sports have been included in many different important multi-sports events, such as the World Youth Games in Moscow and the 1998 Bangkok Asian GamesAsian Games
The Asian Games, officially known as Asiad, is a multi-sport event held every four years among athletes from all over Asia. The Games were regulated by the Asian Games Federation from the first Games in New Delhi, India, until the 1978 Games. Since the 1982 Games they have been organised by the...
. There were 10 medals of cue sports in the 1998 Asian Games
1998 Asian Games
The 13th Asian Games were held from December 6 to December 20, 1998 in Bangkok, Thailand. This was the first time that Thailand bid for the event after it shouldered the two postponed hosting rights in 1970 and 1978.-Emblem:...
.
Participation at the 2002 Asian Games
2002 Asian Games
The 2002 Asian Games, also known as XIV Asiad is a multi-sport event held in Busan, South Korea from September 29 to October 14, 2002. Busan is the second city, after Seoul in 1986 to host the Games. A total of 419 events in 38 sports were contested by 7,711 athletes from 44 countries...
in Pusan, Korea was in jeopardy, mostly due to financial concerns that the host city had. But, in the end, billiards sports were in competition for 10 medals. Later, they were included in the 2006 Asian Games
2006 Asian Games
The 15th Asian Games, officially known as the XV Asiad, is Asia's Olympic-style sporting event that was held in Doha, Qatar from December 1 to December 15, 2006. Doha was the first city in its region and only the second in West Asia to host the games...
in Doha
Doha
Doha is the capital city of the state of Qatar. Located on the Persian Gulf, it had a population of 998,651 in 2008, and is also one of the municipalities of Qatar...
, Qatar
Qatar
Qatar , also known as the State of Qatar or locally Dawlat Qaṭar, is a sovereign Arab state, located in the Middle East, occupying the small Qatar Peninsula on the northeasterly coast of the much larger Arabian Peninsula. Its sole land border is with Saudi Arabia to the south, with the rest of its...
.
The WCBS has also tried to get billiards sports included in the Commonwealth Games
Commonwealth Games
The Commonwealth Games is an international, multi-sport event involving athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930 and takes place every four years....
. While the WCBS has been accepted as a member of the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF), the attempt at inclusion has not yet succeeded.
Attempts from WCBS have also been made for inclusion into other events like the Pan-American Games, the All-Africa Games
All-Africa Games
The All-Africa Games, sometimes called the African Games or the Pan African Games, are a regional multi-sport event held every four years, organized by the Supreme Council for Sport in Africa...
and the Mediterranean Games
Mediterranean Games
The Mediterranean Games are a multi-sport games held every four years, mainly for nations bordering the Mediterranean Sea, where Europe, Africa and Asia meet. The idea was proposed at the 1948 Summer Olympics by Muhammed Taher Pasha, chairman of the Egyptian Olympic Committee, and they were first...
.