Barry Hearn, the former chairman of the World Snooker Tour, said a few days ago that the World Snooker Championship can stay in Sheffield, but only if the Crucible Theatre is redeveloped or a new arena is built in the city. Since 1977, the 980-seat Crucible show has hosted the biggest event in snooker every year, but the current contract expires in 2027.
The limited conditions for the Crucible Theatre have once again attracted attention
Some players, including Ronnie O'Sullivan and Iran's Hossein Wafi, said the Crucible drama was too small and that the World Championships should be moved elsewhere, with China and Saudi Arabia being good places to go.
The highest hall of honour in snooker, the Crucible Theatre
On the 24th local time in the UK, 75-year-old Hearn said in a live interview with BBC Channel 5: "Whether we stay in Sheffield and put up with it is a choice, and the second option is that they (Sheffield City Council) build us an arena with 3,000 seats, and we will extend it here for a long time." The third option, we go somewhere else for 10 years, and the fourth option, the World Championships are held in the form of traveling around the world, maybe in Saudi Arabia for a year, in China for a year, and then back to Sheffield for a year. ”
Former World Snooker Tour President Barry Hearn
Until the semi-finals, the World Snooker Championship was played on two tables, which meant that the venue was limited and the fans were close to the players. According to some analysts, the 50th anniversary of the World Snooker Championship at the Crucible Theater will be held in 2027, which may be the last year that the event will be held here.