China emerges as a new home for snooker – Snooker News
Snooker fans across the world saw a successful finish of the 2011-12 Snooker Season with some outstanding competitions in the 2012 World Snooker Championship but there is more coming in the next season for the snooker lovers because the governing body, World
Snooker has added some more tournaments in the upcoming season.
Most of these events will be played in China because this country is becoming a major place for snooker after England. Until now, there were only three major ranking snooker events in China, the Shanghai Masters, the Haikou World Open and the China Open.
However, World Snooker Chairman Barry Hearn announced two more major ranking tournaments in the Chinese snooker calendar.
These two new tournaments include the already existing Wuxi Classic which was an invitational non-ranking event, has now been give the status of a major ranking tournament and a new event titled as International Snooker Championship. From now on, China will
be organising five major ranking events to become the biggest snooker home in the world after England.
The reason behind China being the second biggest place for snooker is an increasing attachment of Chinese people with the game. World Snooker has received a lot of appreciation and support from the Chinese government regarding snooker. Besides all top guns
of snooker like to play in China as they have got immense fan following in the country.
Speaking to the media, the 2012 World Snooker Championship winner Ronnie O’Sullivan said, “If China want it, they can have it. They're the most powerful country in the world. One day this tournament will be in China, have no doubts about that. I love going
to China and the Chinese people. I love the food and I love the culture.”
Meanwhile, World Snooker chief Barry Hearn added, “We have built an excellent relationship with the CBSA and that has been fundamental to our success. China is a rapidly expanding market and we are going where the demand is because this game belongs to the
world.”
China has already its top players in the leading line up of the game such as Ding Junhui, Liang Wenbo, Cao Yupeng and Liu Chuang. In the recently finished World Championship, four Chinese potters made it to the initial stages of the event which is a clear
proof of snooker’s increasing popularity in China. World Snooker is hoping that the Chinese soil will prove a healthy market for the game.
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