And this week’s Tour Championship in Llandudno has been postponed until July, due to the rapidly viral deadly Coronavirus outbreak.
The snap announcement came from World Snooker Tour this morning that the penultimate ranking event of the season would be potentially played later on in the year at the end of July (21-26th).
Originally, the event in Wales was going to be played behind closed doors – but government advice yesterday has changed the whole framework of sporting events for the next weeks/months.
The statement read on the WST website: “We appreciate this is very short notice and a disappointment for the fans and the television audience, however, the assessment could only be made at short notice after yesterday’s announcement from the government which came at 5pm.
The box office at Venue Cymru in Llandudno will contact ticket holders . Those tickets will be transferred automatically to the rescheduled dates. Fans who are unable to attend in July can contact the box office after April 1st for a refund.”
Announcements on future events including the World Championship will be made in due course, with all scenarios to be considered depending on further government advice.
The World Snooker Championships hang in the balance as advice from UK government was for people to avoid social gatherings such as pubs, clubs, theatres and other venues and just go out to get food and essential items.
On the Crucible Theatre website, it says that ALL shows will be postponed until April 5th with ongoing reviews following on from government advice. The theatre also hosts the iconic snooker event played each year there since 1977.
The statement reads: “For performances from 5 April onwards, we will continue to review and follow recommendations from the relevant authorities and will keep in touch with ticket holders. There is no further news on World Snooker at this time. We continue to liaise with the team at World Snooker and will provide an update on plans for this year’s tournament as soon as it is available.”
They add: “We appreciate that these are worrying times for many people and thank you for your understanding as we continue to follow all available advice. We are sorry for any disappointment our closure will cause, but we are committed to playing our part in helping people stay safe. Please look after yourselves and each other.”