Wuxi to host snooker World Cup for next ten years

World Snooker chairman Barry Hearn in Sheffield, UK, April 24, 2014. [Photo/IC]

SHEFFIELD - The eastern Chinese city of Wuxi will host the snooker World Cup for the next ten years, starting from this June, announced World Snooker chairman Barry Hearn here on Monday.

"The World Cup will be staged in Wuxi, China, every two years for the next ten years," he told a press conference at the Betfred World Championship.

"This year's event will take place from June 24 to 30. There will be 24 two-man teams from 23 nations (with host nation China to enter two teams)," Hearn added.

According to the world snooker governing body, the total prize money for this year's World Cup will be $800,000 (about 5.4 million yuan).

It will be the third consecutive time for Wuxi to host the World Cup after 2015 and 2017.

Initiated in 1979, the World Cup had not been held for 10 years since 2001 due to limited budget. Hearn resumed this competition after he took office.

In the 2011 Thailand World Cup, Ding Junhui and Liang Wenbo lifted the trophy for China. And in 2015, Zhou Yuelong and Yan Bingtao crowned the Chinese team for the second time.

Two years later, Ding and Liang turned the table around from 3-1 down to England and came out the eventual champions, claiming the third World Cup title for China.