MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) is set to oversee the country’s billiards sports scene following the suspension of the Billiards Sports Confederation of the Philippines (BSCP) as decreed by the Asian Confederation of Billiards Sports (ACBS) in an email dated Sunday, March 9.
Based on the POC’s and ACBS’ correspondence, the Asian body found multiple violations of the country’s national sports association (NSA) for billiards, including “conflicts of interest, failure to hold elections for the a long time, and organizing international tournaments without the necessary approvals.”
Philippine billiards was recently in the world’s spotlight after the hosting of the inaugural Reyes Cup, a tribute tournament to living legend Efren “Bata” Reyes, last October in Manila, though the ACBS did not specify which tournaments were held without prior authorization.
Notably, the email signed by ACBS Secretary-General Michael Al Khoury, also alleged BSCP mistreament of Filipino cue artists, many of whom are in the top rungs of billiards world rankings, and has tasked the POC to form a disciplinary committee to investigate the violations.
The POC in turn, through Secretary-General Wharton Chan, has informed the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) of its intention to temporarily take over the BSCP’s tasks, “including the supervision of arrangements and entitlements for national athletes,” per the POC email.
Per the ACBS’ recommendation, this takeover should not exceed three months, pending the completion of the disciplinary committee’s duties.
The POC is also tasked to follow up on gathering files of players qualified to participate in international tournaments, most notably the 2025 World Games in Chengdu, China, from August 7 to 17.
The BSCP suspension has since started on Tuesday, March 11, the date of the POC’s approval of the ACBS’ recommendations.
The BSCP and PSC have yet to make their own statements as of posting. This story will be updated once they do. – Rappler.com
