- author, michael emmons
- role, BBC Sport at the Crucible Theater in Sheffield
Snooker could return to the Paralympics in 2032, 44 years after its last appearance.
World Disability Billiards and Snooker (WDBS) is promoting the inclusion of snooker in the rapidly growing sport of snooker for people with disabilities.
England won three gold medals at the World Ability Sports Games in Thailand in December. This tournament is a multi-sport event in which players from nine countries participate in snooker competition.
Tony Southern won gold in the Group 2 wheelchair category and said the chance to represent Great Britain at the Paralympic Games was a “dream come true”.
“We've been trying to get back into the Paralympics for a while,” added the 55-year-old from Liverpool. “The last time was in Seoul in 1988, there was only one wheelchair category.
“Hopefully we'll be there in 2032. It'll be in Brisbane in 2032 and Australia is a hotbed for snooker so I hope it's another ace of the pack.”
“It’s a sport that everyone can enjoy, regardless of disability or athletic ability, and it’s one of the few sports that everyone can play.”
Snooker “custom-made” for the Paralympic Games
Snooker first competed in the Paralympic Games in 1960 and competed in all competitions until 1976, then again in both 1984 and 1988.
WDBS chairman Nigel Mawer said: “Snooker is a sport that was born in Stoke Mandeville for people with spinal injuries and we continued to play it until 1988. There's a good chance he'll come back.”
“Secondly, this sport is tailored for the Paralympic Games. If you look at the categories, athletes and obstacles we use, the sport fits perfectly into the Paralympic model.
“Our next step is to get recognition from the International Paralympic Committee and then we can call ourselves para-snooker.
“These are the first steps, and once it is recognized as a sport, the next step is to lobby for a place in the Paralympics.”
“Standards are getting higher and higher.”
Three British gold medalists, Southern, Carl Gibson and Gary Swift, as well as Thai champions Songkiat Lehbanku and Thanapol Sikao, gathered at the Crucible on Wednesday and Thursday.
The group was introduced to the crowd before Wednesday's morning session, played an exhibition match at the Cue Zone in nearby Winter Gardens, and then went on a tour of the iconic Crucible on Thursday.
Southern said: “Playing while sitting on a chair is probably 10 times more difficult than when you were playing standing up. You have to play 70% of your shots with rest or overtime, and then you have to take turns to do the rest of your shots. Because you have to play very hard to compete.
“I have had cerebral palsy since birth. It affected my walking and until I was 40 I played standing up, but it got so bad in terms of falls that I had to move from a chair. I decided to play and haven’t looked back since.”
Snooker will take part in the European Championship in Portugal in October, and the first World Championship will be held in Thailand in 2025.
“The standards are getting higher and higher,” Southern added. “Recently, one of our visually impaired athletes achieved his 100th break in an event and one of our amputee athletes achieved his best time in practice.
“Wheelchair athletes regularly take 40 or 50 breaks at events. My best when sitting in the chair is 87, but it's complicated to go around the table and do shots with other members. So this is probably equivalent to 130 when standing.”