Manama 17th August 2008: World Snooker has announced the first ever world ranking event in the Kingdom of Bahrain.
Under the patronage of His Highness Shaikh Mohammed Bin Salman Bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the World Snooker Bahrain Championship will be staged at the Bahrain International Exhibition Centre in Manama from November 8th to 15th.
The world's top 16 players will be automatically seeded into the final stages of the tournament, to be joined by 16 qualifiers and six local wild cards.
Former World Champion Peter Ebdon, who lives in Dubai, said: "This is tremendous news for snooker. To have a brand new tournament is a great boost for the players, and particularly to have one in a new territory.
"I have witnessed at firsthand the popularity of snooker in the Middle East, the people love it here It's great news for fans in the region as they will get the change to see their heroes in action, and I have no doubt that the tournament will be well supported."
Sir Rodney Walker, Chairman of the WPBSA and World Snooker, added "This is a major step in our strategy to make professional snooker a global sport. We are moving into territory which we know has a huge following for snooker; this tournament will be a focal point for that interest as well as a catalyst for further growth across the Middle East.
"We already have two fully-funded ranking tournaments in China and we have had considerable commercial success in the Far East in recent years. With this venture into Bahrain we intend to continue to exploit the potential of markets where snooker is popular, and to provide great entertainment to an ever-growing international fan base."
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Contact:
Ivan Hirschowitz,
World Snooker media office,
07766 656133
www.worldsnooker.com
© Press Release 2008
