Snooker was invented by bored colonial soldiers in British India. The World Championship has been held at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield for almost five decades. The sport was at its peak in the 1980s, when one in three Britons watched the final, and went through a long decline before viewing figures began growing again, particularly with international audiences. Between 3m and 4m viewers tune in for the final; when a Chinese player features, numbers multiply.
Sheffield functions as an elite training hub for the world's best players, including top Chinese talent. The Ding Junhui Snooker Academy, opened in 2020 by Ding Junhui, a Chinese former world number one, sits in central Sheffield. Victoria's Snooker Academy, a ten-minute walk away, houses another stable of Chinese players. Though there may be more snooker halls in Beijing than in all of England, the best Chinese players end up training in Sheffield.
China has been rising in the snooker world since Ding Junhui, then 18, defeated Stephen Hendry, a seven-time world champion, at the China Open in 2005. Mr Ding reached the world final in 2016 but has never won the title. Of the world's 40 top-ranked male players, 11 are Chinese as of 2025. In 2024 Bai Yulu, a 20-year-old, won the women's world championship, held in China for the first time. In May 2025 Zhao Xintong, a left-handed 28-year-old, defeated Mark Williams 18-12 at the Crucible to become men's world champion, pocketing £500,000. An estimated 150m Chinese viewers tuned in for the final. Jason Ferguson, chairman of the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA), said the sport's rising profile in China could help it be included at the Brisbane Olympics in 2032.
Total prize money rose from £3.5m when the sport was in the doldrums to £19m by 2025. The World Championship alone offers £2.4m, including £500,000 for the winner. The sport has cycled through tobacco sponsorship, gambling companies and crypto firms as funders. Snooker has long been associated with gambling and betting scandals.
Saudi Arabia pays a premium for sporting events to visit the kingdom, and snooker has joined boxing, golf and football in taking Saudi money. Ronnie O'Sullivan, the sport's most celebrated player, is setting up an academy there. Sheffield's contract to host the World Championship runs until 2027.
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