World Snooker Championship 2020 postponed

The 2020 World Snooker Championship has been postponed due to the Coronavirus outbreak.

Snooker’s show-piece event was due to take place from April 18 to May 4 at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield and was to be preceded by the qualifying stages at the English Institute of Sport from April 8-15.

Both the qualifying rounds and the main event have now been postponed, with WST working to secure new dates in July or August.

Consultation is underway between WST and host broadcaster BBC and an announcement on the rescheduled dates is expected in due course.

When new dates are confirmed, tickets will be automatically transferred and a refunds policy will also be put in place.

Qualifying School, which was due to commence on May 18, has also been postponed until after the completion of the World Snooker Championship.

The World Snooker Championship follows the recent Tour Championship in being postponed until the summer – which traditionally is snooker’s closed season.

In the meantime, WST Chairman Barry Hearn has not ruled out the possibility of staging further tournaments behind closed doors to bridge the loss of income for players.

Hearn said: “These are tough times for everyone but we are determined to get through it. Fans around the world – as well as the 144 players involved – are anxious to know if and when the World Championship will go ahead.

“I can assure everyone that we are doing all we can alongside our broadcasters, the venues and other partners to confirm new dates as soon as possible.

“Snooker players are self-employed, they need opportunities to earn prize money so we have a responsibility to them.

“We are currently exploring the potential to stage tournaments behind closed doors to keep the circuit alive, with more details to follow next week.

“Live televised coverage of the biggest sporting events can be an inspiration to people around the world in these challenging times so it is important that we strive to find solutions for our tournaments.”