I would definitely choose my World titles over an Olympic gold: Pankaj Advani

Pankaj Advani

India's star cueist Pankaj Advani, who finished the GSC World Snooker Qualifiers at the Goregaon Sports Club on a high on Sunday to qualify for the World Snooker Championship in Doha later this year, says he will be happy to see cue sports part of the Olympics. However, he would prefer his World Champion titles rather than an Olympic medal.

Indian Olympic Association chief Narinder Batra recently told mid-day.com that billiards and snooker will be included if India hosts the 2036 Olympics. "It's very good for the profile of the game, but it's not the end of the world if it doesn't happen," Advani told mid-day.com on Monday.

The 24-time World Champion, however, feels an athlete should be focussed on winning every tournament, rather than an Olympic medal, an event which takes place every four years. "Nothing to take away from all our medallists. I won two Asian Games gold medals myself in 2006 and 2010 and I know what the feeling is when the national anthem is being played and the tri-colour goes up while you are standing at the podium. It is an emotional moment, but if somebody had to ask me if I would like to have one Olympic gold compared to all my world titles, I would definitely choose my World titles any day. I believe sporting greatness is all about your achievements," Advani said.

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"Yes, Olympics is a mega event - a lot of eyeballs, attention and media coverage - but it's an event by itself and we can't just play in one Olympics and forget about everything. I believe it should not be the only event we should be focussing on," he added.

Advani, 36, who recently won the Asian Snooker Championship and World Championship in Doha, maintained his excellent form by winning all 12 matches (six each in the Y-Camp and Z-Camp) at GSC World Snooker Qualifiers which concluded on Sunday. Advani took the pole position with 10,760 points, while national champion Aditya Mehta, who finished with four wins and two defeats, was placed second with 10,156 points.

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