The History of Billiards
The game of Billiards has a long and rich history, evolving from
a lawn game similar to croquet. The oldest documented game was
played on a field in France in 1350, and a figure from that
period is depicted striking a ball with a crooked stick on a
window in Gloucester Cathedral The term "Billiard" is
derived from a French, either from "Billiard" - a
wooden stick, or Billiard - a ball.
The Noble Game of Billiards
The game was originally played with two balls on a six pocket
table, using a hoop similar to a croquet wicket and an upright
stick as a target. The hoop and target disappeared during the
18th century, leaving just the balls and pockets.
Most of the information about Billiards comes from accounts of
royalty and other nobles playing. It has been known as "the
Noble Game of Billiards" since the early 1800's however
there is evidence that all types of people have played the game
since its inception. In 1675 the first book of Billiards rules
remarked of England that their were "very few towns of not
therein which hath not a public billiard table"
Cue stick Development
The cue stick was developed in the late 1600's. For some shots
the mace was too cumbersome to use because of its large head, so
players turned it around and used the handle to strike the ball.
The handle was called a "queue" - meaning tail- from
which the word "cue" is derived.
Carambole, Pool and Snooker
The three divisions of Billiards - Carambole, Pool and Snooker
derived from the same games, but have all developed separate
identities, creating their own sets of rules and governing
bodies around the world. All three divisions of Billiard sports
are now working together harmoniously for the future of game and
its continued expansion.
In order to fulfil the IOC's conditions, the three main
divisions concerned held in historic meeting in 1990 in Bristol,
England, when it was decided to form the World Confederation of
Billiard Sports (WCBS)- an umbrella organisation encompassing
all kinds of Billiards. The following two years were spent
developing a set of bylaws enabling the various divisions to
work closely together whilst maintaining their independence. The
first official General Assembly of the WCBS was held in Lauanne
in 1992 and since then the WCBS has become and established force
worldwide.
The I.O.C granted full recognition for Billiard Sports in 1998
paving the way for future inclusion in the Olympic Games. The
I.O.C decision was quickly followed by the International World
Games Associations announcement that Snooker, Pool and Carom
would be in the 2001 World Games in Alulta, Japan.
The WCBS Structure offers equal rights and obligations to the
three divisions and the committee of nine members has three from
each division.
Number of members in each Division
W.S.F (Snooker) 53 National Federations
W.P.A (Pool) 46 National Federations
U.M.B (Carom) 44 National Federations
Total 143 federations
Total number of countries number 81
Total number of registered players members is estimated at over
100 million worldwide.
