With a £2 million prize pool up for grabs, the World Snooker Tour has produced a fourth major that will take place in Saudi Arabia in August.https
The first-ever Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters was announced on Tuesday by WST, in collaboration with the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Sport and the Saudi Arabian Billiard & Snooker Federation.
A statement read: “Alongside the traditional Triple Crown tournaments, a prize fund of over £2million will be at risk in what is the second wealthiest event on the famous World Snooker Tour schedule in 2024.
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READ MORE: Judd Trump, a snooker player, receives a £150,000 salary without ever winning a match”The Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters will be a world ranking event open to all 128 tour players, plus six local wild cards from the Saudi Arabian Billiard & Snooker Federation.”
“Saudi Arabia is an ever-emerging home for all sports, and we’re excited by the opportunity to add new world-class events in snooker,” stated HRH Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Faisal, Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Sport.
How do you feel about the ‘fourth masters’ being held in Saudi Arabia? Tell us in the space provided for comments.Eddie Hearn, chairman of Matchroom Sport, continued, saying: “The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has established a reputation for expansion and for generating new prospects for sports to grow in a new market to new fans.”
“In recent years, the nation has played host to some of the biggest athletic events in the world, drawing tourists from all over the world who come to experience its distinct culture and passion for sports. That is further enhanced with the addition of the Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters for the next ten years, which marks the beginning of an exciting new age for snooker.”
In keeping with the statement, the ‘Crown Jewel’ World Pool Championship will be held in June, in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia – two months ahead of the snooker.Following his claim of having “stage fright,” Ronnie O’Sullivan discloses the true reason he missed the Welsh Open.
More information about Ronnie O’Sullivan’s decision to withdraw from a major snooker tournament has been released. He disclosed that he was experiencing “stage fright.”In an extended statement, Ronnie O’Sullivan stated that he is withdrawing from another major snooker competition in order to play as little as possible.
With victories at the UK Championship, the Masters, and the World Grand Prix, the current world champion has enjoyed a successful season thus far. However, health issues have been a major factor undermining his performance, as he has withdrew from a number of lower-level ranking events, most recently the Welsh Open in Llandudno.
He addressed his fans on X, the former Twitter platform, when he revealed his intention to cancel the event: “It’s difficult to describe, but for years I’ve occasionally suffered from stage fright brought on by nervousness. Although I can’t control or foresee it, I attemptadoring kebabs Luke Littler swept through the World Championships. Now that he is competing in the Premier League against the big boys, the teenage sensation is touring the UK and Europe with his talents.
Over the next two months, darting fans will flock to see the new darting superstar compete against the sport’s biggest names, including Luke Humphries, Michael van Gerwin, Michael Smith, Rob Cross, Gerwyn Price, Peter Wright, and Nathan Aspinall.
You can find all the information you need to know about the tournament in our special Premier League preview, which also charts Littler’s meteoric rise and highlights his competitors for the coveted title. It also features an exclusive column by James Wade, interviews with PDC chairman Eddie Hearn, current Premier League players, and gaming legends.I apologize to everyone who purchased tickets, but at this time, I feel like this is the best thing for me, and I just can’t get my cue out. I’ll be working with Eurosport because I still want to be involved in the tournament, and I hope to see you all there.
“I think it’s a great tournament and a great venue, really nice to be on the coast, it’s always a great week and I think everyone loves coming to this tournament,” he said in an interview with Eurosport, explaining his reasons for pulling out.For me, the most important thing is to try to stay in the rankings, free up some time, and have fun—and if I can do that, that’s terrific. Every week on the treadmill is not what I want.”
Together with the Champion of Champions competition in Bolton in November, O’Sullivan has chosen not to compete in seven ranking events this season, including the Welsh Open. Despite his ongoing success on the table, O’Sullivan emphasized the need to concentrate on his “health and wellbeing” after withdrawing from the German Masters in January.Following his claim of having “stage fright,” Ronnie O’Sullivan discloses the true reason he missed the Welsh Open.