Carom
FAMAGUSTA - The European billard federation (CEB) will organize during his congres in Famagusta on 25 of June a discussion with the federation, in conformity with what the UMB (the World federation) did in Madrid recently. The intention is to speak with the federations about the near future of billiard. That will take place at the congress of the CEB in Famagusta.
Wolfgang Rittmann, president of the CEB, is looking forward in the invitation to the federations and other interested people. He speaks about one of the most exciting conferences in recent years. Rittmann mainly assures that a renovation of the international championships must be done. ,,After two years partly accompanied by hot tempered and emotional discussion, the CEB board has brought in his ideas a proposal and basis for discussion'', Rittmann said.
The development of the past and the not positive future prospects in the tendency of the future give reason to examine a lot of things and to possibly change them, is the opinion of the president. ,,We know that for a lot of years the tendency is that about 70% of the championships which are fixed in the sporting programmes of the UMB and CEB are cancelled. We know as well that the organization of championships are often pure chance and that no stability can be found. Likewise we know that in many cases on account of economic reason the number of potential organizers is powerfully declining, which is even valid for three-cushion as artistique. The reduced number of participants give also information about the falling interest, the partly strong falling number of members in the national federations and the financial problems resulting out of it. There are innumerable reasons for this development. We have to look ahead and probably it requires courageous decisions if our sports shall have a chance in the future.''
The president looks forward, not to the past, he assures in his announcement of the conference. ,,The world, the leisure time activities of the human beings, have changed a lot'', he says. ,,Many kinds of sports have already adapted themselves by change to this development. Our sports is now standing at the parting of the ways. Sports for one’s own satisfaction is one side of the medal, sports for the public is the other one. Both are completely legitimate, but they can only not be mixed. We have to learn: sports is not fair-minded, the winner is that one who passes the target line first, according to the prescribed rule. Even long distances and tournament systems with innumerable matches do not guarantee the fair winner.''
The German president of CEB outlines the situation as he and his board forsee. ,,We need a stable presentation to the outside world of our sports to be safeguarded in the future. No serious kind of sports leave the organizations of its championships to coïncedence. They have to be organized in a stable manner in the future and have to be the central point also of our federation. One major event with all championships in a rotation of two years could be the solution. A time frame which is already kept by a lot of federations partly for decades. Each week an international billiard champion (carom, snooker or pool), the public does not differentiate this, is an oversaturation which leads to a loss of interest int the media and for the public. A championship title by pure chance which is lasting once for years and once for only a few months does not speak in the favour of stability either and does not give the sportsman any stable chance to savour.''
Rittmann finally concludes: ,,The CEB board only can bring ideas and conceps for the discussion. The decision about the future is made by the national federations. It is in your hands to answer the question: Quo Vadis Billiards.''