Pool.billiards not in the olympics, and equestrian is?

Question

i never knew what equestrain was til a few minutes ago. im not putting it down. someone on a horse, trots them slowlly around, in a paramiter in a rectangle fence for about 3 minutes. how could this possibablly made the olympic games, and pool/billiards has not? im watching it on tv now, and that just blows my mind? i could see maybe polo making the olympics(which i don't know if it is?) but equestrain? and i believe they been trying to get pool/billiards in for over 75 years? im watching it now, and as a casual olympic spectator, have no clue what their even looking for lol. looks like to me the horse in in control(trained but in control). olympic sport, and pool/billiards is shuned off? just some thoughts

Answer 1

Melon -

You suggest that snooker and pool are "games" - well, these are the "Olympic Games".

Snooker and pool, along with carom, are official recognised sports as defined by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and so meet their criteria.

If sports such as shooting and archery have a place in the Olympic programme of events, and I believe they do, I do not see why it is such a ridiculous suggestion that billiard sports could also one day be on the programme of events too.

I of course respect your view and it is a good thing that everyone has different opinions.

Answer 2

They are considering it ,They even have an Olympic 9ball game set up

If you read about a cue sports player in the Olympics now that is the Asian version

At least the games with regulated international professional competition have been referred to as "sports" or "sporting" events, not simply "games", since 1893 at the latest.[3] Quite a variety of particular games (i.e. sets of rules and equipment) are the subject of present-day competition, including many of those already mentioned, with competition being especially broad in nine-ball, snooker, three-cushion and eight-ball.

Snooker, though technically a pocket billiards variant and closely related in its equipment and origin to the game of English billiards, is a professional sport organized at the international level, and its rules bear little resemblance to those of pool games.

A "Billiards" category encompassing pool, snooker and carom was featured in the 2005 World Games, held in Duisburg, Germany, and the 2006 Asian Games also saw the introduction of a "Cue sports" category. Efforts have also been underway for many years to have cue sports become Olympic competitions.

Answer 3

Well, I would definitely have to disagree with you. Equestrians are athletes, and it is a sport. There is a lot more to it that people would like to believe, and NO the horses do not do all the work. Those horses and the riders, too, are some of the most skilled athletes.

Dressage, Eventing, and Showjumping are just 3 events that riders actually participate in, that doesn't even get into the Western riding at all. There is a lot of technique, training and skill required to get those horses to move like that for Dressage...years of training the horses and practicing. And Showjumping and Eventing... Do you really think horses jump those 6' fences by themselves? Ha, not quite. They could go right around them if they wanted, but the riders use their leg aids and a lot of strength to guide them over.

The riders themselves put so much energy into making there rides as close to perfect as possible...getting every stride just right, every movement as finesseful as they can be. It is physically and mentally draining. You have to use your legs, your seat, and your core to get it really just right. And you really have to use your brain and think about everything, and on course, there are usually 100 things going through your mind. You're being judged as soon as you enter the ring and you have one shot to get it right. The Olympic competitors may not make it look hard, but it is. You wouldn't believe what we are thinking in the ring... It's either we do all the work and have to push the horse to do it, which makes it really tough, or the horse cooperates and makes it really easy.

The horses do have minds of their own. They don't always perform as perfectly as we want. They have their off days, just as we humans have ours. The horses could run out at a fence, or stop in front of it, or take a wrong lead or something if they really wanted. That's the difference from a lot of other sports too... It's not just one member that has to do the work, there's a 1200lb animal underneath you who has to abide by your aids and cues, if they don't it's really hard. You have to work as one to make it look good.

I've been an equestrian for 10+ years and I've done my fair share of competing. It's not at all easy.  

Answer 4

Depends how you define "sport". Most people define it as a physically strenuous leisure pursuit. Pool or billiards is neither (it's a game, not a sport)...not even if you play fast. Never seen anyone break out into a sweat (except maybe from the heat of the overhead lights), to be honest. I can also tell you've never ridden a horse before...doesn't look like it, but it is hard work and you do actually break out into a sweat.

No...pool or billiard isn't in it thank God because apart from anything it's a GAME not a SPORT. If we allow pool we have to allow darts...and then what? Tiddlywinks?

They're getting rid of baseball in the next olympics and this guy is complaining pool isn't included...please.

Answer 5

I would just like to say that pool is a sport. I wish it were part of the olympic games and maybe someday it will be. As for Melon , you have the right to your to your opinion just like anyone else but don't they play games as a part of all sports? When I go down to St louis to see the cardinals play I'm not going to see a baseball SPORT am I ? No , I'm going to a baseball GAME. Or when I take my wife to Chicago to see her beloved Bears We're going to a game which is a part of the sport of football. So when i'm playing a game of pool it's a part of cue sports.I think all of this game or a sport talk is crazy when the fact is you can't have sports without games , can you?

Answer 6

Equestrians DO require skill, control, technique, discipline, balance, concentration, and expertise in handling and controlling their horses.

Pool players require a combination of skills, discipline, physical balance (whether on your feet or in a wheelchair), concentration, stamina, technique, and expertise as well. BOTH of these SPORTS indeed have their rightful place in the Olympic Games.

There is more to the sport of being an equestrianist than meets the eye. The same holds true for the expert Pool player. People who are not familiar or seasoned in the knowledge of these two sports, cannot begin to appreciate the true skill involved with either one until they actually experience squeezing the horse's flanks while in the saddle and "pulling back the reigns" with perfect timing and rhythm, or strategically running around the pool table for hours and consistantly stroking a cue stick with precision and controlling the cue ball, facing a new set of obstacles and situations, with every game and every shot.

  One MAJOR difference in these two sports is that your horse can be trained (which is part of the sport) while a pool cue is just a stick, until the pool player brings it to life. Just the same, a horse is not automatically going to jump a hurdle just because it's there. I find the equestrian events to be boring, while I DO appreciate the discipline involved. I do understand that there is more to the sport than some might imagine.

Whatever your 'take' is on these two sporting events, Cue Sports is long overdue in being accepted and implemented  as an Olympic event.

The IOC WILL bring Billiards into the Olympics. This has been an ongoing topic of discussion, debate, and concern for decades. Wake up, IOC !!!

BILLIARDS: A Lifetime SPORT

Cue Sports — The Origin of Cue Sports Cue sports have been played around the world for centuries, dating back to the 15th century.

The importance of motor-skill development, cognitive learning and social-skill development in billiards creates an inspiring standard of expectation in those that embrace the game. Exercise in the intricate measures of skill that this SPORT requires sets the tone. Developing muscle memory, focus and relaxation encourages knowledge about specific functions of the body. This knowledge, combined with the understanding of billiard equipment, provides a personal experience that will last a lifetime.

Cognitive Billiards as a SPORT necessitates a high level of concentration. Understanding this concept engages perception. Learning the required formulas for shot making brings many related subject matters to the table. The games are played on a rectangle with very precise dimensions. The fascination begins each time the balls go in to motion. Based on the knowledge attained, creative expressions by players are endless.

Like other physical education activities, billiards requires the same components—mental, PHYSICAL and emotional exercises, building knowledge through experience and competition to round out the fun. This program offers all of these and more. A unique community is then achieved: millions of people playing billiards on a regular basis.

The SPORT, with its rich history and traditions, must be respected. The room, equipment, instructors and fellow students must also be treated with care and respect.

The game has evolved into three different disciplines: snooker, carom billiards and pocket billiards. These are played on different-sized tables, with different-sized playing balls and different rules. While the mechanics of shooting are constant across disciplines, there are many differences in equipment, technique and strategy.

Hand-eye coordination has been proven to be an integral element of logic. The relationship between the table, balls, cue and the demand for near-perfect execution challenges a player beyond measure. With knowledge as the source, there is no end to this mastery. An avenue of well-founded self-esteem is available to anyone embracing this SPORT. Any person can achieve high levels of skill, if they so dare to be challenged.

Physical Geometry — Stroke The stroke is the movement of the cue from a player’s shooting position. The objective of this motion is to strike the cue ball at a target. All players can see that the direction of the cue ball needs to be straight. To be successful, the challenge then is to deliver the cue on a straight path. There are a number of ways this can be accomplished. Hitting shots repeatedly will allow the memory to make adjustments so a straight path is established. Regardless of the method being used, it is the “follow-through” of the stroke that is mandatory.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~...

From my personal experience as a pool player: Pool requires great physical stamina, fitness, concentration, skill, a good sense of rhythm, endurance, and discipline --physically and mentally.

In the 1970's and 80's, I took part in petitioning for Cue SPORTS to be accepted and finally a standard, as an Olympic event.

"Pool is comparable to a game of Tiddly Winks" --- I'm confident that this person has never stood at a pool table for twelve hours (day in and day out) and has never participated in any discipline of a cue sport. That comment is merely an uneducated statement based on opinion by a person who has never been involved, educated, exposed, or interested in the finer points and discipline required in any or all cue sports.

I have a parapalegic friend who was an avid pool player, until he lost his upper body strength and balance. He lost his mental game and focus as he became frustrated and lost his edge and stamina  completely, eliminating him from further competition in the SPORT of pool.

I DO believe that cue sports will be an Olympic event in my lifetime. Don't forget, that every four years, we look forward to, and welcome:  The Olympic GAMES.

In Great Hope -

Lori Ann G.

Professional pool player

Answer 7

I agree with you man, and I am putting  equestrian down ....its NOT a sport ....the Horse does all the work and the rider gets all the d**n credit.

I love it when the horses throw the rider off

Answer 8

Hey Melon! Did you notice that pool questions are in the sports category? Pool is defined as a sport like it or not. Those people riding the horses are sweating because they are outside in the heat, If we played pool outside I'm sure that we would sweat too.

Right now though it seems like the best pool players are from other countries(well other than the United States) and everyone knows who they are. We don't have to have contests every 4 years just so we can determine that Allison Fisher is still the best womens pool player and Efren Reyes is the best male player. We have tournaments all the time for that. i would enjoy watching it but I don't think it will ever happen.

Answer 9

I don't know what the criteria is for events qualifying for the Olympic games.  I was shocked to see beach volleyball as an olympic event!!

Answer 10

The horse does all the work.

You just sit on it and drive in dressage.

If horses are allowed in the olympics because they have skill,surely pool,snooker and billiards players should be allowed in. They are at least human.

Answer 11

@melon, Pool is a game but not a sport? then how do you categorize archery? it requires fewer energy to play than pool. and yeah, I think equestrian shouldn't be included in the olympics but in the horselympics! lol

Answer 12

I don't really follow the BCA or ACS pool leagues but as I understand it, part of the reason the BCA split into two factions (the other now being ACS) is because one wanted to keep the organization at a level of play contrary to what the other wanted.

I also understood someone to say that one charter of the organization is striving to add pool as an Olympic sport. I can see where the controversy arises though if that's the case. When you say "pool" you would have to define which game or format. Should it be 8 ball, 9 ball, snooker, one pocket, etc? Once you define a game, then the problem arises as to which set of rules would be used. As we all know, there is no shortage of amateur leagues and professional tournaments around the world with their own set of rules and regulations.

Nobody seems willing to relent to genuinely unify the sport. While I  think the motive behind the drive to have pool as an Olympic sport is to have it universally accepted around the world, I don't think the Olympic committee is going to be interested in entertaining the idea until the amateur and professional ranks can come to a meeting of the minds as to what the universal rules should be.

There are few that love the game more than those of us that spend time here answering questions and bantering back and forth. Pool is a lot like the game Monopoly though. I've been to a lot of houses and played the game, but I have yet to find two houses that played by the same rules.

That's my 2 points worth. :)

Answer 13

Wow. I hate to rag on you, but you need to learn how to spell and construct sentences. Your questions and answers are so hard to read that they are practically worthless.

Billiards is a GAME not a sport. Table tennis is definitely a sport. Have you seen how table tennis is played at the highest level? Then, compare it to billiards. At the highest level, billiards only makes you break a sweat from the pressure not the actual play. Next, have you ever met an equestrian rider? They are majorly in shape and strong people. People who claim the horse does all the work are ignorant. Billiards players do not need to be physically fit to play, and many good pool players couldn't run a mile while being chased by the cops.

Billiards games do not belong in the Olympics. Next thing you will want Scrabble or chess players in the Olympics. These games are closer to billiards than billiards is to sports.