Billiards far from being Olympic event

Billiards, the sport which the country is hoping to be included in the Olympic calendar, may not become an Olympic event after all.

This was revealed by International Olympic Committee (IOC) representative Frank Elizalde during the opening of the new POC offices inside the CCP Complex in Pasay City Tuesday.

"It's really very hard to include additional sports in the Olympic Games without removing other events," said Elizalde.

Elizalde, who was in Lausanne, Switzerland in last year's IOC General Assembly, added that the sport being included in the Olympics in short term basis may also not work.

The POC, which is headed by its president Celso Dayrit, has been lobbying for billiards to be included as an Olympic event after the sport reached its height of popularity on the strength of Efren "Bata" Reyes' victory in the strong World 9-ball Championship in Cardiff, Wales last year.

But Dayrit is not giving up on the sport as the top POC honcho is set to meet with IOC prexy Juan Antonio Samaranch any time this year.