Published: 12 October, 2008, 10:46
Edited: 12 October, 2008, 10:46
The finals of the Russian version of pool have been held in Moscow, with its growing popularity internationally suggesting a bright future for the sport. 150 players battled for the Kremlin billiards title, and a cool $US 35,000, in a game known as Russia
lthough there are many similarities with pool, the game has bigger balls, with different colours, but smaller pockets – shots need to be more precise.
The prestigious Kremlin tournament attracts the very best. Tournament organiser Aleksandr Gorbenko said: “The popularity of the Kremlin billiards tournament grows each year. This sport doesn’t usually attract big crowds but you can see that there are plenty of people here today. I think that our tournament is in some way competing with tennis's Kremlin cup. Some people came up to me today and said that they decided to watch the billiards tournament instead of tennis.”
Love for Russian billiards is already stretching beyond the country's borders. There are many talented players in the former Soviet republics. Countries like Latvia, Armenia, Belarus and others hold their own annual national championships. But there also players from further afield, as referee Yury Chervanyov pointed out.
“There are very strong players in Finland because their national game is quite similar to Russian billiards,” he said. “They always send a complete team to major international events. Recently the sport’s become popular in Germany as well, mostly due to a large Russian immigrant population. They have even opened schools for kids and regularly send them to various youth tournaments.”
There are many that would love to see pool played at the Olympics. But the process takes years and the lobbying continues.
The Russian variation of the sport, however, has less chance of making it than its cousins from the US or the UK.
“I really hope that someday billiards will become a part of the Olympic Games,” said Chervanyov. “Games like snooker or American pool are obviously more popular, and pool would probably be the first to get recognised. As soon as the International Olympic committee makes that decision, our time should follow soon after that.”