KUALA LUMPUR: A snooker academy is being mooted for Sarawak to encourage players and improve the standards of the sport.
According to the Borneo Post, the proposal was put forward by the Malaysia Snooker Billiards Federation secretary Iskandar Perwira Putra, as snooker is currently the only sport in the country that lacks an academy.
"However, even without an academy centre, snooker players have throughout the years won gold medals in the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games.
"Since 1989, national snooker players have never failed to deliver gold medals at the SEA Games.
"The best result was during the Thailand 1995 SEA Games when Malaysia won six gold medals in both pool and snooker games," he told reporters at the opening of the Sibu Swan Invitational Snooker Championship on Tuesday.
Iskandar, who also serves as a SEA referee examiner, said there used to be a snooker academy in Kuala Lumpur, but it was shut down in 2007 because of negative perceptions surrounding the players and the centre.
"Since then, the players had been training on their own, forking out their own expenses and getting their own coaches and other logistics.
"It was very discouraging and demoralising to the players but the players' perseverance and their love for the sport enabled them to surge forward and ensured the sport remained relevant," he said.
Iskandar, however, said today's players are more professional, emphasising that sports ethics play a crucial role in snooker tournaments.
"The players who won the gold medals for the country were all products of the snooker academy centre in Kuala Lumpur which started in 2003. That speaks volumes on the importance of the snooker academy centre," he said, further advocating for an academy in Sarawak.
Meanwhile, Stanley Chiew, who represented Deputy Dewan Rakyat Speaker Alice Lau at the tournament, said snooker should now be regarded in a different, more positive light.
"Snooker is a mental game that demands strong mental resilience and precise potting skills to excel as a player."
A total of 62 players, including many newcomers from across the state, are participating in the week-long tournament organised by the Sibu Swan City Recreational Club.