Chengdu hosts snooker event

British snooker star Ronnie O'Sullivan, who retired from the professional billiards tour this year, will come to China in October to resume his career at the World Snooker International Championship in Chengdu, Sichuan province, from Oct 28 to Nov 4.

The event, which is organized by the Chengdu municipal government, the Multi-balls Administrative Center of the General Administration of Sport of China, CCTV-5 and the Sichuan Sports Bureau, is among the highest points and highest prize money snooker tournaments in China.

Total prize money is 600,000 pounds ($950,000) and the winner of the event will pocket 125,000 pounds and 8,000 points.

Besides O'Sullivan, the world's top 16 players will be directly seeded into the event. The other 16 players will advance to the main event through qualifying rounds.

Jiang Heping, head of CCTV-5, said the event will be broadcast live to 74 countries and regions and the highlights will be shown in another seven countries to a prospective audience of 480 million.

Current world No 9, China's Ding Junhui, will lead the home team's charge.

leilei@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 09/04/2012 page23)