Is poker to get a sporting chance?

/ Editor / 19 September 2008 / Leave a comment

The sporting public has been treated to a veritable feast of activity over the last few months or so with plenty going on around the world, but there is the inevitable deflation when it all ends, writes Rob Eddy.

There was Euro 2008, which England had not qualified for so we could watch the spectacle for what is was without the disappointment of failure getting in the way.

Then we had a fantastic Wimbledon with an upset, some cricket in which England have looked pretty good (on occasion) and of course the Olympics.

Not only did Team GB perform and bring back the best medal haul for a century but there were also some sensational individual performances, notably Michael Phelps, Usain Bolt and Chris Hoy.

Well it may well just be a matter of time before poker is added to those sporting timetables as another country is set to decide whether it should be reclassed as a sport.

Everybody has their own standpoint on whether it should be considered a sport and I am not trying to change anyone's mind on this one, but for the record I stand on the 'no' side of the fence.

However, Russia recently declared that poker is officially a sport in the country, and no longer a 'game of chance', and maybe they have something with the current standard of players they have - one of which, Ivan Demidov, is preparing for both the World Series of Poker final table and the WSOPE.

Now, the Czech Republic is set to review the classification of poker in a bid to tidy the image of the game in the country, but these debates have been raging for some time now, with the likes of Dave 'Devilfish' Ulliott championing the cause in the UK.

Who knows whether it will ever be officially recognised as more than a 'game' but the 'Poker Olympics' are set to continue shortly with the World Series of Poker Europe starting on September 19, while the 'November Nine' reconvene for the WSOP Main Event title in November.