Ng On-yee will defend her world title in Bangkok in June. Photo: AFP
Source:
https://scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/3001647/world-womens-snooker-championship-moved-bangkok-beijing-misses-out Hong Kong
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
Hong Kong’s world No 1 Ng On-Yee now knows where she will defend her world title. Photo: Handout
Hong Kong’s world number one snooker player Ng On-yee finally knows where she will defend her World Women’s Championship title as the governing body appointed Bangkok, Thailand, as the 2019 tournament host.
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.
The United Arab Emirates Billiards and Snooker Association informed the governing body earlier this year that they would have to cancel plans to host the event, and a scheduled tournament in the Chinese capital slated for March 20-23 was canned due to concerns over travel and visa issues for players.
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.
Earlier this week, it was revealed that Hong Kong Premier League side Kitchee were informed that their star forward, Josip Tadic, was refused entry to China to play in their league game against table-topping, mainland-based side Hong Kong R&F.
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.