'Lack of funds from govt, PSB is crippling for snooker'
The Pakistan Billiards and Snooker Association (PBSA) is facing a severe financial crisis due to lack of any funding from the government or the PSB during the past one year which has jeopardised the survival of snooker as a sport and has put the participation of national players in the upcoming international competitions at serious risk.
The PBSA has urgently appealed to the government and the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) to take notice of the situation and immediately release funds for the federation which is not only one of the most efficient and hardworking federations in the country, but has also brought a huge number of laurels to Pakistan through the untiring efforts of its cueists and its officials.
Highlighting the gravity of the financial crisis, the association stated that both the domestic circuit and Pakistan's international representation in snooker are under serious threat if the funds are not released by the PSB. "Since July 2024, the Pakistan Sports Board has not provided any financial support, despite Pakistani players delivering exceptional performances on the world stage last year," the PBSA said in its appeal.
In 2024, Pakistan won a gold medal at the World Snooker Championship held in Doha, Qatar, and added to its achievements with a silver and bronze at the World 6-Red and World Cup Snooker Championships, another gold medal at the World Men's Snooker Championship, a gold and bronze at the 3rd SAARC Snooker Championship, and a bronze at the Asian Men's and U-21 Championships.
The PBSA emphasized that all expenses for these events were borne by the association through its own limited resources - an arrangement that is no longer sustainable. Due to the current lack of financial support, Pakistan's participation in several major upcoming international events is now uncertain. These include:
Asian Team & 6-Red Championship (SL, June 2025)
Commonwealth Games (Mauritius, Jul 2025)
World U-17, U-21, and 6-Red Championships (Bahr, Jul 2025)
World Games (Chi, Aug 2025).
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Business Recorder
an hour ago
- Business Recorder
Intra-day update: rupee sees slight dip against US dollar
The Pakistani rupee registered marginal decline against the US dollar, depreciating 0.01% during the opening hours of trading in the interbank market on Wednesday. At 10:10am, the local currency was hovering at 283.43, a loss of Re0.02 against the greenback. On Tuesday, the local unit closed at 283.41. Internationally, the US dollar held on to gains against major currencies early on Wednesday, buoyed by demand for safety as conflict between Israel and Iran kept investors on edge ahead of a Federal Reserve decision on interest rates later in the day. Israel has pounded Iran over the past six days to halt its nuclear activity and has asserted the need for a change of government in the Islamic republic. The US military is also bolstering its presence in the region, Reuters reported, sparking speculation of US intervention which investors fear could spread into a region replete with energy resources, supply chains and infrastructure. Against this backdrop, the US dollar has found support as a safe bid, firming roughly 1% against the Japanese yen, Swiss franc and euro since Thursday, helping it shave declines from earlier in the year. The greenback had lost more than 8% earlier in the year due to eroding confidence in the U.S. economy amid trade policies. The US dollar firmed as much as 0.1% against the yen on Wednesday to touch a one-week top. It was last at 145.21 yen. In early Asia trade, the Swiss franc was flat at 0.816 a dollar and the euro was up 0.1% at $1.149. A broader index tracking the greenback against six other currencies was little changed after a 0.6% jump in the previous trading session. Oil prices, a key indicator of currency parity, ticked up in early trading on Wednesday after ending the previous session up more than 4% on worries that the Iran-Israel conflict could disrupt supplies. Brent crude futures rose 19 cents, or 0.25%, to $76.64 a barrel by 0029 GMT. US West Texas Intermediate crude futures rose 23 cents, or 0.31%, to $75.07 per barrel. US President Donald Trump on Tuesday called for Iran's 'unconditional surrender' as the Iran-Israel air war entered a sixth day. This is an intra-day update
Express Tribune
5 hours ago
- Express Tribune
'Lack of funds from govt, PSB is crippling for snooker'
The Pakistan Billiards and Snooker Association (PBSA) is facing a severe financial crisis due to lack of any funding from the government or the PSB during the past one year which has jeopardised the survival of snooker as a sport and has put the participation of national players in the upcoming international competitions at serious risk. The PBSA has urgently appealed to the government and the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) to take notice of the situation and immediately release funds for the federation which is not only one of the most efficient and hardworking federations in the country, but has also brought a huge number of laurels to Pakistan through the untiring efforts of its cueists and its officials. Highlighting the gravity of the financial crisis, the association stated that both the domestic circuit and Pakistan's international representation in snooker are under serious threat if the funds are not released by the PSB. "Since July 2024, the Pakistan Sports Board has not provided any financial support, despite Pakistani players delivering exceptional performances on the world stage last year," the PBSA said in its appeal. In 2024, Pakistan won a gold medal at the World Snooker Championship held in Doha, Qatar, and added to its achievements with a silver and bronze at the World 6-Red and World Cup Snooker Championships, another gold medal at the World Men's Snooker Championship, a gold and bronze at the 3rd SAARC Snooker Championship, and a bronze at the Asian Men's and U-21 Championships. The PBSA emphasized that all expenses for these events were borne by the association through its own limited resources - an arrangement that is no longer sustainable. Due to the current lack of financial support, Pakistan's participation in several major upcoming international events is now uncertain. These include: Asian Team & 6-Red Championship (SL, June 2025) Commonwealth Games (Mauritius, Jul 2025) World U-17, U-21, and 6-Red Championships (Bahr, Jul 2025) World Games (Chi, Aug 2025).
Express Tribune
5 hours ago
- Express Tribune
74 Pak players registered for BBL 15
Pakistan's T20I captain Salman Ali Agha, Saim Ayub and others are registered for the draft. Photo: AFP/File Pakistan's T20I captain Salman Ali Agha is among the 74 Pakistani male cricketers who have signed up for the Big Bash League (BBL) 15 Draft, as announced by Cricket Australia (CA) on Monday. The draft, scheduled for June 19, will also include 11 Pakistani women cricketers competing for spots in the Women's Big Bash League (WBBL), showcasing a growing interest and presence of Pakistani talent in Australia's premier T20 competitions. Joining Salman in the men's draft are explosive opener Mohammad Haris and mystery spinner Abrar Ahmed, both of whom have impressed with their recent performances at the domestic and international levels. These names add to an already star-studded list of Pakistani players previously registered for the BBL 15 Draft, including pace spearhead Shaheen Shah Afridi, wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan, leg-spinner Shadab Khan, fast bowler Haris Rauf, spinner Usama Mir and pacer Mohammad Hasnain. Meanwhile, Pakistan's star batter Babar Azam has already been secured by the Sydney Sixers as one of the 15 pre-signed marquee players for the upcoming season across both the men's and women's competitions. The BBL 15 draft will feature over 600 overseas players, making it one of the most competitive drafts in recent years. The men's draft includes players from England (178), the West Indies (42), Sri Lanka (13), and even one from India. The women's draft pool is headlined by players from England (46), India (15), New Zealand (15) and Pakistan (11). For the unversed, Brisbane Heat will have the first pick in the men's draft, giving them the opportunity to lead selections from this elite pool of global talent. Mega-money Babar Former Pakistan cricket team captain Babar Azam has joined the list of the highest-paid players in Australia's Big Bash League (BBL) after signing with the Sydney Sixers for a fee higher than the Platinum category base price. This will be Babar's first appearance in the BBL and the Sixers have secured his services for the upcoming season. Details of the agreement between Babar and the franchise have also emerged. According to reports, the Sixers picked Babar in the Platinum category and offered him a pre-signing deal with a salary exceeding the base price. The base price for Platinum category players is around PKR 7.75 crore, but sources claim Babar's deal is worth nearly PKR 10 crore, making him one of the highest-paid signings in BBL. With over 10,000 international runs across formats, the 30-year-old has firmly established himself as one of the game's most prolific and consistent performers. As per BBL regulations, each team is permitted to pre-sign one overseas player ahead of the official BBL 15 draft, scheduled for Thursday, June 19. List of Pakistan players Asif Afridi, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Abrar Ahmed, Muhammad Akhlaq, Ammad Butt, Asif Ali, Haider Ali, Hasan Ali, Muhammad Ali, Nauman Ali, Salman Ali Agha, Umar Amin, Ali Asfand, Azan Awais, Saim Ayub, Danish Aziz, Tahir Baig, Ahmed Daniyal, Sahibzada Farhan, Zafar Gohar, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Huzaifa, Muhammad Imran Jr, Aamer Jamal, Azam Khan, Haseebullah Khan, Ihsanullah Khan, Jahandad Khan, Mubasir Khan, Sajid Khan, Shadab Khan, Shahzaib Khan, Usman Khan, Yasir Khan, Zaman Khan, Irfan Khan Niazi, Shan Masood, Zahid Mehmood, Arafat Minhas, Usama Mir, Mehran Mumtaz, Sufiyan Muqeem, Khawaja Nafay, Hasan Nawaz, Rohail Nazir, Muhammad Nawaz, Usman Qadir, Momin Qamar, Haris Rauf, Ali Raza, Mohammad Rizwan, Abdul Samad, Ali Shafiq, Abdullah Shafique, Hunain Shah, Khushdil Shah, Naseem Shah, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Shahzad, Saud Shakeel, Hussain Talat, Usman Tariq, Siraj Uddin, Imam-ul-Haq, Ihsanullah, Imad Wasim, Muhammad Wasim, Arif Yaqoob, Zeeshan Zameer, Muhammad Zeeshan.
