One of the primary aims of the WPBSA and PBA is to have cue sports included on the programme for the Summer Olympic Games in 2032.

The organisations will share best practices for governance, organising events and player membership under the MoU, as well as working together to promote billiards.

Promoting diversity and equality will be another byproduct of the MoU, the organisations said.

WPBSA chairman Jason Ferguson said he was "very pleased that the WPBSA will now work together with the PBA" to promote and govern their respective disciplines.

"We have kept a close eye on the growth of the PBA and it has been particularly encouraging to see development of the organisation in such a clear and transparent manner," Ferguson added.

"The high quality of events delivered by the PBA Tour to date and the number of blue-chip companies that have been attracted is most impressive and we look forward to working on projects together in the future."

The PBA, based in South Korea, was founded in 2019 and runs the PBA Tour, which staged seven events towards the end of last year before the coronavirus outbreak meant that the finals could not take place.

PBA commissioner Young-soo Kim said: "It is a big honour for the PBA to cooperate with the WPBSA, which has been settled as the greatest professional sport association with a history of more than 50 years.

"We will try our best and cooperate to promote and develop billiards to the world, especially for the billiards to be designated as an official Olympic Games sports programme."

The PBA earlier this year reached an agreement with the Korean Billiards Federation (KBF) to help the KBF with their aim of promoting both amateur and professional billiards in the country.

The WPBSA has been unsuccessful in previous attempts to have snooker included in the Olympics, trying for both Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024.