by James
12. April 2010 05:35
Whether poker should be defined as a sport or a game is an ongoing debate that is unlikely to be resolved any time soon. Well, unlikely to be resolved anytime soon anywhere else but Lithuania, that is.
Lithuania has recently announced that it defines poker as a sport. On the 20th March 2010, the Department of Physical Education and Sports issued a decree recognising poker as a sport and establishing the Lithuanian Sports Poker Federation.
This means that the Lithuanian Sports Poker Federation can now organise non-commercial poker tournaments outside of casinos.
Andrius Tapinas, the president of the Poker Federation said: “This is extremely important step in our work,”, “We are receiving congratulations from many of our colleagues abroad, and I know that we are breaking thick ice with our progress for similar international initiatives.”
Interestingly, Lithuania’s neighbour, Russia, also classified poker as a sport for a brief amount of time but removed the distinction last year.