Last updated on .From the section Snooker

Shaun Murphy has long backed the sport's bid for Olympic status

Former world champion Shaun Murphy says Olympic snooker could become more important than the World Championship, as cue sports aim for Paris 2024.

The World Confederation of Billiards Sports (WCBS) - the body representing snooker, billiards and carom - is making a bid for Olympic recognition.

An effort to have snooker played at Tokyo 2020 failed.

Murphy, who won the 2005 world title, said: "The World Championships is our pinnacle but that could change."

The 36-year-old Englishman added: "The cue sports family has to go into the Olympics. It is never just going to be snooker, billiards or nine-ball - it has to be them all together.

"If we could get in there and that iconic gold medal was an opportunity, I think that would be a massive game-changer."

Shaun Murphy tweeted about Friday's launch in Paris

Billiard sports launched its bid at a ceremony at the Eiffel Tower in Paris on Friday, with backing from the French Billiard Federation.

The combined cue sports bid is "in a significantly stronger position" than the snooker one which failed three years ago in the cycle for Tokyo, according to the WCBS.

It highlighted the global audience and participation levels of cue sports as one of the bid's major strengths.

"The sport has never been in a stronger position to take its rightful place on the Olympic programme," Jason Ferguson, president of the World Snooker Federation said.