why is snooker popular in china

“The future’s so bright, I should be wearing sunglasses,” said Ronnie O’Sullivan at the Evergrande China Championship last week. Snooker (pronounced UK: / ˈ s n uː k ər /, US: / ˈ s n ʊ k ər /) is a cue sport that was first played by British Army officers stationed in India in the second half of the 19th century. Snooker, which has its origins in billiard games played by British Army officers in colonial India, is a remarkably difficult and delicate sport. Many players focus on potting the reds and colors—but the real skill of the game is the sublime way players move the white ball around. A good player is always setting up the next shot. That’s not to mention the many leagues below the top division. China's interest in snooker was seeded when promoter Barry Hearn toured with the stars of the game's heyday in the mid-1980s and Guangzhou hosted the first ranking event in China in 1990. It's hugely popular there. The emergence of snooker clubs in China also encouraged the participation of viewers, who wanted to try and emulate the ‘parlour-tricks’ they witness on television (or in person), and also the younger generation who want to follow the path of Ding. The third ranking event of the campaign gets under way on Monday with the start of the 2019 China Championship in Guangzhou. Its a completely different game. Snooker, which originated in the British military in 19th century colonial India, and the similar game of pool have emerged as popular pastimes in China’s fast-evolving culture. Snooker has become hugely popular in China, with 210 million fans tuning in to watch Ding Junhui lose the 2016 World Championship final ©Getty Images Speaking at … I never even knew what the sport was like until I moved to China like 4 years ago. Now there is a strong following in Germany, China, UAE, Saudi Arabia, India and many other countries. On Sunday, two of the best snooker players in the world met in York, England for the final of the UK Championship, the second-most prestigious event on the sport’s calendar. While it once was a costly past-time earmarked for the higher castes of society, snooker is very accessible today. More money has been placed into advertising the sport on Chinese TVs, with a wealth of new clubs also popping up as a result. Shanghai is now home to 1500 of these snooker clubs alone, and the prevalence has attracted people from all backgrounds to show an interest in the game. "And I try and stick with Western-style food anyway." An accumulative total of over 14.5 million fans attended live Premier League matches last season, with millions more watching at home on TV. That’s why so many of the most well-known players nowadays originate from China. Chinese players like Ding Junhui with games and Snooker trick shots. The Beijing international snooker tournament will kick off soon. U.K. prize money may be very attractive, in order for any U.S. players. Snooker is so popular in mainland China that it is included on the sports curriculum in schools. Snooker is on everywhere I went. It can partly be attributed to the ascension of Ding Junhui who was once the number one ranked professional player and reached the final of the 2016 World Snooker Championship . At the World Championship these days, the best players on the planet compete for a top prize of £500,000, watched by half a billion people around the globe. There is a geographical and cultural based explanation to show why a pool is popular in America and snooker is popular in Britain and its colonies. 2 years ago. Some Chinese athletes like Yao Min (姚明), Li Na (李娜) o Lin Dan (林丹) are popular around the globe and represent different sports brands. It’s fairly cheap to play and quite easy to get started on a career of snooker without sacrificing too much in terms of time and effort. Thousands of leagues exist across the UK, offering players of all ages a chance to be … However China has a bigger population and better facilities and so it is producing better players at the present time. Also, sports in China receive great support from the government. 'The world has changed and we have to change with it,' says chairman of World Snooker Barry Hearn. 3-year-old snooker player in China September 23, 2013, 12:13 PM Three-year-old Wang practises before playing snooker with seven-time World Championship winner Hendry in Beijing It … Nowadays, 60 million players play in China, but that instigates timing problems, as many of the latest top players will be competing in Asia at an unfavourable time to the general snooker … It can partly be attributed to the ascension of young Chinese player Ding Junhui who has since broken into the international Top 10. China has become not just an economic, but also a Sports superpower. Tuesday 29 Aug 2017 08:11AM. The game is played by 60million in China, last season Eurosport broadcast more than 1,100 hours of play while the World Championship final was watched by more than 300million in 80 countries. Snooker legend Steve Davis, back in action in 2010, plays on with one spectator struggling to stay awake As we’re going through the top 5 best Asian snooker … there are very few 6 x 12' tables in the entire country. Big cities such as Beijing and Shanghai can boast hundreds of snooker and pool halls. Legendary snooker champion Stephen Hendry presents this exploration into how snooker became so popular in China and why its future is … It’s not only popular in a spectating capacity, but also a playing capacity as well. I only followed 8/9 ball back then. When I was in Beijing, the only sport able to compete for TV time is football. Hong Kong’s Marco Fu is well known in Hong Kong and overseas where he … In conclusion, its very clear that globally, the game of snooker has grown substantially from 2010 onwards particularly in China due to mass investment from wealthy organisations in the far east. "[China's] where the game is popular and that's where the money is," says Carter. While the number of snooker clubs in the UK is in decline - in 2009, snooker clubs group Rileys went into administration - more and more are opening in China… Snooker is pretty popular here. Non-stop action. Unfortunately, there is no prominent American snooker star that could help in being an ambassador for the sport, similar to the likes of Robertson for Australia, or Ding for China. There has been quite a lot of snooker already this season but ranking events have been somewhat few and far between. players competing across the country for years in order to develop. , Though an acquired style, snooker followers keep loyal to the Typically sport All through Their Lives. Snooker has being growing steadily in popularity in China since the 1990s, and is now looking to move to the next sporting and business level. But out here, I've mostly played Chinese 8 ball (which is much less forgiving than US 8 ball), and I tried playing snooker. Snooker is massively standard within the UK and extra just lately, China. Snooker, which originated in the British military in 19th century colonial India, and the similar game of pool have emerged as popular pastimes in China’s fast-evolving culture. Snooker is quickly becoming an international game. From the UK to China: The Global Transformation of Snooker. Gamers and followers Additionally know snooker That’s in all probability one of many MOST tough video games to play on the planet. Despite the thousands of snooker clubs in Beijing, if you get there after 19:00, you probably won't be able to get a table for the rest of the night. With the rise of Asian players within the world of Snooker, it is easy to see why the sport has become so popular within China and other Asian countries, but it is not the only factor in why the sport is still a TV ratings hit. According to Daxue Consulting, China is a huge sport market. Why isn't snooker as popular in the US? The most popular clientele are white colla… Snooker has grown wildly popular in Asia following the success of Ding and Hong Kong’s Marco Fu. For a seemingly simple sport, darts has a lot more to offer than it meets the eye. The sport is also immensely popular in China. Ding Junhui of China competes during the third round match with Jamie Jones of Wales at the Snooker UK Championship in York, Britain on Nov. 29, 2016. The History of Snooker It is nearly 150 years since a young officer in the British Army, experimenting on a billiard table, came up with the game we now know as snooker. There is no interest in snooker, and. Coming back from a deficit, Selby edged out Mark Williams and won the tournament. Here’s why snooker star Marco Fu is Hong Kong’s most famous athlete ever. Sadly, this is potentially the reason as to the lack of young risers taking up an interest in snooker. Snooker Although pool, or more specifically, billiards, has long been a popular street recreation sport in China, Snooker's popularity has increased over the last few years in China. When they noticed that interest in the sport was growing, the Chinese government made a move to help it thrive. Lyu Haotian is a spark of the next generation. to rise to the level of the U.K. players, it would take a huge pool of. Snooker’s Global Footprint Keeps Growing. Although pool or, more specifically, billiards, has long been a popular street recreation sport in China, snooker's popularity has increased over the last few years in China. December 8, 2014. In front of a hushed Beijing audience on April 2nd, snooker sensation Mark Selby played in the final match of the 2017 China Open. For the longest time, it was a game dominated by players from the British Isles – England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales – but it’s not that way anymore. snooker is becoming popular in other Asian countries like Thailand and Vietnam.