| The World Pool-Billiard Association (WPA), the world governing body for pool, is convening a WPA Rules/Referees Congress to review and update the world-standardized rules for the sport and to establish a WPA international referees program. The Congress will take place in Chicago, Illinois, September 21-23, 2006, and fourteen delegates from each of the six member continents to the WPA – Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, Oceania and South America – are being invited. Notable directors from the WPA present will include WPA Sports Director Thomas Overbeck (Germany) and WPA Rules Committee chairman John Lewis (USA). The four delegates representing North America will include Robert Jewett (USA) who has organized the new rules documentation to be reviewed; Dale Brimicombe (Canada) representing the Canadian Billiard and Snooker Association; Cecil Messer (USA) representing the American CueSports Alliance; and Bill Stock (USA) representing the BCA Pool League. The primary goals of the Congress will be 1). to finalize the new version of the world-standardized rules for pool to go into effect January 1, 2008; and 2). to determine the structure of a WPA referees program through which current and new referees certified within the programs of various national pool federations may be accredited on a standard international level. Results from the Congress will be announced once any proposals on rules updates and an international referee program are approved at the next WPA Annual General Meeting scheduled to be conducted in the latter half of 2007. The WPA is recognized as the world governing body for pool by the World Confederation of Billiard Sports – the permanent member for cue sports of the International Olympic Committee since 1998. | 
