The World Snooker Tour will return to China next season, with a minimum of three events scheduled to take place before the end of 2023.
Previously a huge part of the professional tour, events in China were wiped off the calendar due to the pandemic and players have been desperate for them to return, bringing with them huge earning opportunities.
The Hong Kong Masters was held in October 2022, with the final played in front of a record crowd of 9,000, and the eight-player event has proved to be the start of a Chinese comeback.
The Shanghai Masters will be the first to return, with the 24-player invitational event played from 11-17 September.
Then there will be two ranking events, with the Wuhan Open from 9-15 October and the International Championship from 5-12 November, with the destination of the latter yet to be confirmed.
There will be hefty prize money across the three events, with a prize fund ‘in excess of £2m’ over the trio of tournaments.
WST Chairman Steve Dawson said: as we ramp up our return to staging events in Asia. To have a minimum of two world ranking events, plus a major invitation tournament, in China later this year is fantastic for the players and fans.
‘Throughout the pandemic we have maintained dialogue and relationships with the China Billiards and Snooker Association as well as our key partners and promoters across China. This has allowed us to make a fast return to staging key events now that travel restrictions have lifted.
‘We promised our players that this was top of our agenda and we have delivered on that promise, adding more than £2 million in prize money to the tour. We will continue to explore opportunities to stage further events in China and beyond.
‘We are excited to host a tournament for the first time in Wuhan, the capital of Hubei Province and a vibrant city of 11 million people. The Shanghai Masters has a long history and is renowned for its prestige.
‘There is a vast appetite for snooker among fans in China and they will keenly anticipate the return of our star players. We look forward to working with our partners on building a bright future for snooker in the region.’
Judd Trump won the last ranking event held in China, beating Thepchaiya Un-Nooh in the final of the World Open in November 2019.
O’Sullivan picked up the Hong Kong Masters title in October, beating local hero Marco Fu in the final.
There will be qualifying rounds for the Wuhan Open and International Championship in the UK, with the former held in Leicester and the latter in Sheffield, both in September.
The provisional calendar for next season has been confirmed, with other tournaments moving home, as the European Masters goes to Nuremburg, the British Open to Cheltenham, Shoot Out to Swansea, World Grand Prix to Leicester and Players Championship to Telford.
2023/24 Provisional Calendar
May 2023
26-June 6 Q School Leicester
June
1-14 Asia-Oceania Q School Bangkok
26-30 Championship League Snooker 1 (ranking) Leicester
July
3-8 CLS2 (ranking) Leicester
10-14 CLS3 (ranking) Leicester
17-21 CLS4 (ranking) Leicester
24-29 Quals: European Masters Leicester
August
14-19 Quals: British Open Leicester
22-27 European Masters Nuremburg
September
1-9 Quals: English Open & Wuhan Open Leicester
11-17 Shanghai Masters Shanghai
18-23 Quals: International Championship Sheffield
25-Oct 1 British Open Cheltenham
October
2-8 English Open Brentwood
9-15 Wuhan Open China
16-20 Quals: Northern Ireland Open Sheffield
22-29 Northern Ireland Open Belfast
30-Nov 3 Quals: Scottish Open Leicester
November
5-12 International Championship China
13-19 Champion of Champions Bolton
18-23 Quals: UK Championship Leicester
25-Dec 3 UK Championship York
December
7-10 Shoot Out Swansea
11-17 Scottish Open Edinburgh
18-23 Quals: German Masters Sheffield
January 2024
2-5 CLS1 (invitational) Leicester
7-14 The Masters London
15-21 World Grand Prix Leicester
22-28 Quals: Welsh Open & 6 Red Barnsley
29-Feb 4 German Masters Berlin
February
5-10 CLS2 (invitational) Leicester
12-18 Welsh Open Llandudno
19-25 Players Championship Telford
26-March 2 CLS3 (invitational) Leicester
March
4-9 6 Red World Championship Bangkok
30-31 Mixed Doubles tbc
April
1-7 Tour Championship tbc
8-17 Quals: World Championship Sheffield
20-May 6 World Championship Sheffield
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