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Hong Kong officials have vowed to fight for snooker's inclusion at the 2002 Asian Games following the gold and bronze medal successes of the SAR's players in Bangkok.

 Con Conway, Hong Kong's deputy chef de mission, said Olympic committee officials would push hard for the sport's retention in four years' time, when the Asian Games will be held in Pusan, South Korea.

 The issue of snooker and billiards' presence in the Asian Games is a vexed one. It managed to make its debut this year only after a campaign of persistent lobbying by Thai officials.

 Thailand had engineered the sport's inclusion in the hope it would provide them with an opportunity to win several gold medals.

 But with South Korea having no representative in this year's snooker tournament - and only two in the other categories, pool and carom - it remains to be seen whether Pusan organisers will be as enthusiastic for inclusion of the sport in four years' time.

 On a provisional list of sports to be contested in Korea on the Pusan 2002 official website, snooker and billiards are conspicuous by their absence.

 Pusan officials could not be contacted for comment by Sports Post yesterday.

 Conway, also a vice-president of Hong Kong's Amateur Sports Federation and Olympic Committee (ASF & OC), promised the organisation would lobby for snooker to be retained.

 'We're certainly going to go in there and battle for it,' said Conway, speaking in the wake of Hong Kong's gold medal win in the team event on Monday night. 'It's vitally important for us, and I think the success of the tournament this year has to make [the South Koreans] include snooker.

 'Also, I think there is a general feeling among the powers of Asian sport - China, Japan and Korea - that it is important for less-developed sporting nations to feel that they have a chance of winning a medal. That's why I think sports like snooker and tenpin bowling will be retained. But we're not going to be complacent and we will do all we can to make sure it gets in.' The Olympic Council of Asia will meet in spring when the issue of Pusan sports will be discussed, although a formal decision on which sports will be included is unlikely before 2000.

 The snooker tournament in Bangkok has widely been seen as one of the most successful parts of the Asian Games so far, with big crowds thronging to watch some scintillating competition.

 There was still a buzz of excitement in the Hong Kong camp yesterday about Monday night's late, late show from the men's snooker team in the final against Thailand, during which Chan Wai-tat kept his nerve to secure the SAR's third gold medal of the Games.

 'It was an incredible win. To win two gold medals in one day was more than we could ever have dreamed of,' said Conway.



Snooker officials look to retain debut sport in Pusan