The next World Pool Championship will now take place from Wednesday, January 6 until Sunday, January 10, having originally been slated for October.
Matchroom Pool acquired the rights in perpetuity to host the World Pool Championship from 2020 in an agreement with the WPA earlier this year. However, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic the decision has been taken to postpone the event until the new year.
This decision has been taken to ensure that the World Pool Championship can be staged to the very highest standards, enabling players from around the globe to qualify and travel to compete in the tournament.
Emily Frazer, Matchroom Pool COO, said: “The World Pool Championship is a prestigious event and should be the most important event on the calendar for professional pool players. Following our acquisition, we are extremely eager and excited to stage the event, however it is our first time and we are focused on making it right. The event will boast 128 of the top male and female players across the globe, it is important that all 128 deserving players are able to participate and are not restricted by the current climate.
“With the second half of 2020 filling up with postponed live sport and especially Matchroom Multi Sport events, moving the World Pool Championship to the new year also gives us space to make room for other tournaments.
“The World Pool Championship will now sit at the beginning of the calendar, making January the right fit for the re-schedule and starting 2021 on a great high – a small silver lining.”
A further announcement regarding the venue, prize money and entry criteria for the World Pool Championship will be made later this year.
The thoughts of everybody at Matchroom Pool remain with those around the world who are affected by the coronavirus pandemic.
依據今年與WPA達成的協議，Matchroom Pool 自2020年起獲得舉辦世界九號球錦標賽 (World Pool Championship) 的永久權。然而，因新冠狀肺炎 (COVID-19) 的大流行，主辦方已決定將比賽延遲至新的一年。因此原訂於今年10月份的世錦賽將於2021年1月6日至1月10日舉行。
Matchroom Pool 首席運營官 Emily Frazer 表示: “世界撞球錦標賽是一項享譽聲望的賽事，對於職業選手來說應是整年度最重要的賽事。再舉得永久舉辦權後，我們非常渴望並興奮地舉辦賽事，然而對於我們首次的承辦，我們專注於做出最正確的決定。此項賽事將吸引全球128位的男、女子選手參賽，故重要的是讓所有選手都能參賽並且不受當前氣候限制。
“隨著2020年下半年充滿了被推遲的體育賽事，尤其是 Matchroom Multi Sport 的各項賽事，故將世錦賽移至明年也讓我們爭取為其他賽事騰出空間。另，關於世錦賽賽場、獎金和入選標準等進一步相關信息將於今年晚些時候宣布。”
CN/Alison