Snooker to return to China with three tournaments added to calendar for the 2023/24 season

Snooker is poised to return to mainland China for the first time since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, with the announcement of three tournaments for the 2023/4 season. China is a hotbed of snooker, with a host of players making their way into the professional ranks — including global superstar Ding Junhui. But the Asian swing was halted when Covid struck in the spring of 2020.

Ad While the sport resumed later in the year, initially behind closed doors, the events in China were removed from the calendar. World ChampionshipO’Sullivan pounces on Pang errors to take commanding lead in openerAN HOUR AGO Eight players took part in the Hong Kong Masters in 2022, which was won by Ronnie O'Sullivan, to whet the appetite of fans in the region. And it has now been confirmed that three events will be added to the World Snooker Tour calendar next season.

The action will get underway with the Shanghai Masters, which will be a 24-player invitational event from September 11-17. That will be followed by two ranking events, the Wuhan Open from October 9-15 and the International Championship from November 5-12. O'Sullivan exclusive: Women 'deserve' professional snooker tour Exclusive: O'Sullivan ready for 15 more years, targets World Championship at 55 WST chairman Steve Dawson said: “This is a momentous announcement for our sport as we ramp up our return to staging events in Asia.

To have a minimum of two world ranking events, plus a major invitation tournament, in China later this year is fantastic for the players and fans. “Throughout the pandemic we have maintained dialogue and relationships with the Chinese Billiards and Snooker Association as well as our key partners and promoters across China. This has allowed us to make a