Carom
NIEUWEGEIN - Santos Chocron, the current president of the three cushion Section of the Dutch Billiards Federation (KNBB), proposes his candidacy to the UMB committee at the upcoming congress in Terneuzen, on September 19th, 2014. The Dutchman, with more than 15 years of experience in several national and international committee functions, has discussed his ideas of renewal for the 3-cushion ranking system on many occasions.
Recently, the UMB board proposed him to apply for a UMB committee function to develop a plan of renewals, together with the UMB committee and the Confederation representatives.
Santos Chocron, once before Secretary General in the UMB board, is speaking - in a Kozoom interview - about his ambitions in the case he will be elected by the general Assembly during the upcoming UMB Congress, for a period of 4 years. Time needed to bring his ideas into reality.
He explains his ideas and motivation in a five-questions interview .
Frits Bakker/Kozoom: What drives you to take such a step in your billiards executive career?
Santos Chocron: ,,During my membership of the UMB Committee, in the period between 2006 and 2010, the idea of renewal of the ranking system has been discussed with players and board members of federations and confederations on many occasions. Unfortunately, these ideas have never been worked out into a conceptual plan of implementation. Lately, these ideas were discussed in more details, during several international events, with the UMB board members.''
,,Reason why I have been proposed to apply for a board member candidacy to fulfill the tasks, in a working committee, to thoroughly evaluate the current ranking system and from there develop a conceptual implementation plan of a renewed ranking system. After consultation with the KNBB committee, I accepted the UMB proposal and challenge, fully supported by the KNBB committee.''
FB/Kozoom: How do you see the current structure of World Cups and ranking system?
Santos Chocron: ,,This structure is not really new. After the fall of the BWA, in 2004, the total World Cup structure has been practically unchanged, in good agreement with the representatives of the top players, adopted by the UMB and its confederations. I was actively involved in this matter with the World Cup of Sevilla, in 2004, as the first one under the umbrella of UMB/CEB. In the past decennium many vital issues, technically as well as financially, have drastically changed. The media interest in the World Cup have also diminished, mostly in Europe, but also in other continents.''
,,Without the interest of the media it is almost impossible to increase the prize money for the players or even to maintain the current level. Most federations are less able to send their players to the intercontinental World Cups because of a decrease of subventions. Top players, not supported by their Federations, are losing their seeded status, fear to no longer have the ability to find subventions to participate to the World Cups.''
,,For the time being, this is not yet a threat to the existence of the World Cups. But we must anticipate to this issue by thoroughly evaluating the system and act accordingly, on time!''
,,My ideas of renewal are mainly based upon the ITF (International Tennis Federation) system. I am confident that with the needed efforts, this system, in a simplified version, can be adapted to the 3-Cushion ranking system, by introducing confederation tournament categories with ranking points, just like in the tennis system. This will bring the 3-Cushion top sport to the Confederation regions, which should result in a boost of the 3-Cushion, all over the confederations, with a well balanced ratio between number of participants, prize money and ranking points. At the same time the current World Cups should be gradually upgraded to the 'Grand Slam' level."
FB/Kozoom: Did you discuss your ideas with board members or players? What was their opinion?
Santos Chocron: ,,Yes, we did. On several occasions, I discussed these issues with board members and players as well as within the KNBB committee and our national players selection. They all reacted enthusiastic about these new ideas and the fact that there is an urgent need for regional confederation tournaments, with attribution of ranking points.''
,,Like in tennis, we can think about three tournaments categories, differentiated by the number of participants, prize money and the related ranking points. These tournaments have to be brought in balance within each other and with the World Cups that will obtain a higher category level, like the 'Grand Slams' in tennis. This is not an easy task to achieve in view of the many factors that have to be taken into account concerning the interests of payers, organizers, sponsors, federations and confederations and calendar dates conflicts. But as long as the first step is not taken, nothing will happen. So we must act quickly and within a well structured working committee.''
,,Most federations see their subventions from the Government and National Olympic Committee decrease every year... There is not enough financial mean to send their talented players to the World Cups. Mostly the Intercontinental ones. In particular the young talents who are then not able to develop their skills and gain international experience to build a professional billiards career.''
,,These regional tournaments will then generate, as a spin-off effect, funds in the form of participation fee for the organizing federations and confederations and will contribute in great part in the development of the 3-cushion sport, federation and confederation wide, bringing the billiards sport into a higher level of public and media interest."
FB/Kozoom: Will you be able to combine a function within the UMB with your current involvement within the KNBB committee and as President of the 3-Cusion section?
Santos Chocron: ,,Yes. The reason why I accepted the proposal to candidate for the UMB board membership is mainly because my involvement with the KNBB committee and 3-cushion Section, as announced previously, will end at the end of this year or at the latest by June 2015. There will be a new KNBB structure on which we have been working for the past two years, with new elections. I will not candidate. If I am elected and want to bring my ideas into reality, I will need to work full time with the UMB board to achieve results within a reasonable margin of time. I think it will take us two years to develop an implementation plan for the new ranking system. At the next UMB congress, in 2016, we must be able to present a finalized concept for approval by the General Assembly. It will take then another two years to implement and promote the new ranking tournaments. These steps can only be taken in Commission, with the involvement of the UMB and confederation committee's.''
,,As the most beneficiary party in these new tournaments, the confederations can use the gain of interest by the public and media to acquire new sponsors and increase the number of playing members within their Federations. This will give the 3-cushion a boost that we all have been waiting for and that the 3-cushion sport well deserves."
FB/Kozoom: Your candidacy and election depends on the decision of the congress to suppress the age limit for board members from the UMB statutes.
Santos Chocron: ,,That's correct. The Belgian federation applied a proposal to suppress the age limit of 70 years from the UMB statutes. The KNBB will support this proposal. Not only to be able to candidate, but mainly because it is most usual within sports and governmental institutions to not discriminate on age. Instead, the KNBB will propose to introduce a limit in the number of election periods, say 3 periods of 4 years, maximum. The KNBB uses 3 periods of 3 years maximum. The National and International Olympic committee's, most sports federations, governmental and Business institutions apply a similar period limit. In my case, I assumed that the congress will agree upon the suppression of the age limit. If I am then elected, I will remain in the UMB board only for a period of 4 years, with a very definite goal to achieve: the renewal of the ranking system.''
,,I very much hope that the congress will agree with the suppression of the age limit from the Statutes, regardless of whether I am elected or not.''
,,Thanks, Kozoom and Frits Bakker, for this interview!''