Snooker success

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Pakistani snooker players have been orchestrating masterclasses in excellence, dominating the world snooker championships at masters and under-17 level. The annual tournament, organised this year in Bahrain by the International Billiards & Snooker Federation, is the premier amateur event on the snooker calendar. Muhammad Asif and teenager Hasnain Akhtar won their respective titles on the same day, and while Asif still had a competitive 4-3 win against his India rival, Akhtar routed his Welsh opponent without dropping a frame.

Meanwhile, just a few weeks back, Pakistani cueists put up strong performances during the group stages of the Asian Championships, showing that despite having limited resources, minimal corporate patronage, and a backdrop of national challenges, our wealth of talent still shines through. However, it is worth noting that even in previous years, top Pakistani amateurs have not been able to dominate the professional game.

In most instances, it is for the same reason: limited patronage from the state or corporate sponsors means many of our top amateur athletes lack the opportunity to hone their skills, and talent can only take them so far.

This may be best summarised in the career of Mohammad Asif, who has been a dominant force at the amateur level for several years. He is only the second man ever to win three IBSF World Men's Snooker titles, yet he also only managed to reach a career-high professional ranking of 82 during the 2023-24 season. This is in stark contrast to several other talented amateurs who have gone on to have successful professional careers, backed in part by sponsorships that literally afford them the means and opportunity to participate in various international tournaments.

Though it is not necessary for the government to provide patronage to every sport — especially at a time when it can barely provide patronage to health and education — it can still encourage private companies to support players, and citizens who claim to be sports fans can start actually going to watch them at the playing venue, instead of sitting home.