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The World Snooker Tour is to return to mainland China for the first time since 2019 with three tournaments scheduled for next season.
Events in China were a big part of the tour until their removal from the calendar due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Shanghai Masters will be played in September, with the Wuhan Open and International Championship following in October and November respectively.
The combined total prize money for the events will exceed £2m.
The invitational Hong Kong Masters in October showed the appetite for the sport in Asia remained strong, with Ronnie O’Sullivan beating home favourite Marco Fu in front of a record crowd of 9,000.
World Snooker Tour chairman Steve Dawson said the return to mainland China was “momentous”, adding: “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.
“We promised our players that this was top of our agenda and we have delivered on that promise. We will continue to explore opportunities to stage further events in China and beyond.”
The loss of several lucrative events in China saw a reduction in prize money across the season, from £15m before the pandemic to about £11m currently.
Judd Trump won the last ranking event held in China, beating Thepchaiya Un-Nooh in the final of the World Open in November 2019 and the announcement will be welcomed across the professional circuit.
However, two star players who may not feature at this year’s events are Chinese stars Yan Bingtao and Zhao Xintong, who are among 10 players suspended pending the outcome of a match-fixing investigation.
By Steve Sutcliffe
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