The Betfred World Snooker Championship has been rescheduled, subject to government policy, to run from 31 July to 16 August at the Crucible Theatre.
Snooker’s biggest tournament was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic but following discussions with key stakeholders including Sheffield City Council, the BBC, Eurosport and Sheffield Theatres, new dates for the World Snooker Championship have been agreed.
The dates for the qualifying rounds have yet to be confirmed.
WST’s preference is to stage the event with a full crowd inside the iconic Crucible Theatre, which seats an audience of just under 1,000 spectators. If that is not possible, based on government advice at the time, WST will consider the following options:
- Playing the event with a reduced crowd
- Playing the event behind closed doors
- Postponing the event to a later date again
WST Chairman Barry Hearn said: “We are delighted to confirm new dates for this huge global sporting event which has an international television audience of 500 million people. The world is going through a very challenging period but live sport can be a massive inspiration for the public and can boost morale. This gives fans of top class sport something on their calendar to look ahead to and enjoy for 17 days.
Councillor Mary Lea, Cabinet Member for Culture Parks and Leisure at Sheffield City Council said:
“I’m pleased that the championship has been rescheduled and I really hope that it can be celebrated at the Crucible Theatre in true Sheffield style, when it is safe to do so. We will continue to work with World Snooker and support all decisions taken, to help them deliver the competition whilst keeping everyone safe.”
Tickets for the final stages will be automatically transferred to the new dates. The policy for refunds will be announced separately and all ticket holders will be contacted.
