World Snooker Championship postponed due to coronavirus pandemic

Image Credits: Pixabay

The 2020 edition of the World Snooker Championship has been postponed in the wake of the novel coronavirus that has spread all across the globe and was recently termed 'pandemic' by the World Health Organisation.

The qualifiers for the Betfred World Championship were scheduled to take place from April 8 to 15 at the English Institute of Sport in Sheffield, while the final rounds were due to be held from April 18 to May 4 at the Crucible Theatre.

However, the WSC now confirmed that they are planning to now host the final stages of the snooker's biggest events on rescheduled dates in July-August and these will be preceded by the qualifying rounds.

"When new dates are confirmed, tickets for the final stages will be automatically transferred and we will also outline the policy for refunds at this point. All ticket holders will be contacted and the Crucible website and social media will be updated – we respectfully ask that ticket holders don’t contact the Crucible Box Office at this time," the official statement from World Snooker Tour said.

Reflecting on the decision, WST Chairman Barry Hearn assured the fans that they would soon confirm the new dates for the event.

  “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," he said. 

The virus outbreak, which was first reported in December 2019 from Wuhan city of China, has so far claimed the lives of more than 10,000 people and has affected more than 2,40,000 persons globally.