Barry Hearn is quick to remind the Chinese snooker market that you can’t buy history, you have to create it.
While we’re in the midst of qualifiers for this season’s new ranking event, The China Championship, it’s worth considering that we could be witnessing the start of something very special.
When the tournament gets under way in August, this will be the biggest ever ranking event held in China with a total prize fund of £700,000 for the 64 qualifying players and £150,000 to the eventual winner.
It will usurp the £657,000 (£125,000 to the winner) available at last season’s International Championship in Daqing and creates an opportunity for it to become the jewel in the crown of ranking events hosted in China.
This is another positive step for snooker in China after an almighty setback earlier this year.
Staying in Sheffield
It is no big secret that the Chinese market has harboured dreams of eventually taking the World Championship away from the Crucible. It has been a debate ever since Hearn took charge of the sport in 2009, but his answer has always been ‘no’.
His conviction in this belief has always been unwavering, but when he announced a new deal in May to keep the tournament in Sheffield for another 10 years, this intent was confirmed beyond any doubt. This will take the World Championship in Sheffield to 2027 for a 50-year anniversary year tournament at The Crucible.
In turn, it strengthens Hearn’s view that China now needs to quit on these faint hopes and instead focus on a journey of building its own history over time – just as has been done at The Crucible. When you set foot in this tiny theatre in Sheffield, you really do feel the mystique of the venue. You remember the great champions, the great matches and everything that comes with it.
The China Championship has a meteoric way to go until it will be hosting an event capable of rivalling the World Championship in prestige, of course. But with the creation of big tournaments with big prize funds at venues that really work for snooker, it will surely be on the right track.
There is no questioning the love for the game that exists in China. Nowhere else in the world are players treated like Hollywood movie stars with red-carpet launch events for tournaments, but ultimately it will be the memories created on the table and the desire of the players to go there and win the biggest tournaments that will provide the everlasting legacy of the sport.
