Snooker’s World Open removed from calendar

Snooker’s World Open which has been held in Haikou, China, has been removed from calendar for the 2014/15 season by World Snooker, because the promoter has not renewed the contract. Snooker events face this kind of problems in some Chinese cities. If they were not held in cities like Beijing and Shanghai, there could be very likely few sponsors, which would make events organization very hard. World Snooker didn’t offer a clear reason for World Open’s cancellation though, regarding why the promoter didn’t renew contracts. 

Below is the announcement from World Snooker’s website. 

World Snooker has announced that the World Open will not take place during the 2014/15 season.

The world ranking event was staged in Haikou, China, in 2012, 2013 and 2014, but the contract with the promoter has not been renewed.

Concerted efforts were made to secure a new home for the tournament, but unfortunately a suitable location has not been found to fit into the season's busy calendar. Options are now being explored for next season with the firm intention to bring the tournament back in 2015/16.

The event had been provisionally scheduled for January 26th to February 1st, 2015, and it has now been removed from the calendar. The qualifiers on December 20th to 22nd, 2014, in Wigan have also been removed.

World Snooker continues to strive to create new events on the professional circuit, which has grown from less than ten events to over 25 within the past five years.