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Experts say China will pot snooker's future
(chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2010-04-06 16:25
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Snooker agents and senior players believe that the future of snooker belongs to China as fans splash out to watch the World Snooker China Open in Beijing.
Duan Lian, a snooker fan from Northeast China's Heilongjiang province, spent twice his monthly salary to cover the expense of air tickets, entrance fees, hotels and restaurant bills to watch the tournament in the capital.
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China's Ding Junhui (C) attends the awarding ceremony of 2010 World Snooker China Open after the final against Mark Williams of Wales in Beijing, capital of China, April 4, 2010. [Xinhua] |
Zhang Meng, the agent of Ding Junhui, Xia Haifeng, general manager of Beijing Inter Sports and Hong Kong's veteran player Marco Fu Ka-chun all see the huge market potentials in China, Xinhua reported.
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The number of reporters covering the China Open even doubled to the highest level of previous competitions like the World Championship. The profile of the players is also on the rise with many receiving the attention of superstars.
China's Central Television (CCTV) provided more than the contracted 25 hours of broadcasting the China Open in an agreement with World Professional Billiards & Snooker Association (WPBSA).
Snooker, which is popular in Britain but suffers from the strains of financial sponsorship, is now attracting the growing attention of young people and media in China.
"It is dying in the west," said Liu Chuang, the rising star who has practiced snooker for some time in UK.
The rise of stars like Ding Junhui brings new hope for the World Professional Billiards & Snooker Association (WPBSA), which has witnessed a decline in popularity in Britain but a growing market in China's population of 1.3 billion, Xinhua's report noted.
