World Women’s Snooker Championship moved to Bangkok as Beijing misses out; visa issues blamed
- WWS ends months of uncertainty by finally naming Thai capital as host
- Dubai had also been mooted as a potential host but pulled out
The announcement by World Women’s Snooker (WWS) ended months of uncertainty surrounding where the blue riband women’s event would be staged this year.
Previously both Dubai, UAE, and Beijing had been named as hosts, but both cities were forced to inform the WWS that they would be unable to fulfil their obligations.
There were concerns that China’s stringent and opaque visa requirements risked players not being allowed to enter the country and therefore led to fears that a full entry list would not be possible, according to an article on insidethegames.biz.
Bangkok has now been named as host of the Championship slated for June 20-23.
Ng, the world No 1, will be aiming for a fourth world title when she defends her crown and battles it out for the HK$72,800 top prize.
This year, the World Women’s Championship will be preceded by the inaugural staging of an international team competition from June 17-19.
“We are excited to be heading back to Asia for this year’s World Women’s Championship and are thrilled with the support that we have received from our friends at [tournament venue] the Hi-End Snooker Club ... in the organisation of this event.
“We are also looking forward to hosting a major new international team event and to seeing women players from all over the world for what should be a fantastic week of snooker,” said WWS president Mandy Fisher.