Peter Ebdon, the 2002 world champion and a WPBSA board member, wants the World Championship to be staged in Dubai, where he now lives with his wife and four children.
Ebdon told the Gulf News: "Long-term, I would love to see a top company … sponsor the World Snooker Championship and have it based in Dubai."
As pleasant as Dubai most certainly is, the last time the championship was held overseas was in the 1970s. The main reason that it remains in the UK - apart from the fact the Crucible is such a popular venue - is that the BBC costs would soar if they had to undertake their extensive 17-day outside broadcast from another country, where time differences would also complicate things.
Also, 888.com are putting millions into their five-year deal to sponsor the championship and would, presumably, class themselves as a 'top company.'
4 comments:
Dave,
Ebdon is obviously a touch biased what with living there. (Didn't he set up the snooker academy that is now under World Snooker in Sheffield?)
I understand where you're coming from, logistically it wouldn't be possible. But, I do hope, that within the next 5 years of the Championship, these ideas are looked at.
I am certainly hoping that within the next 5 years World Snooker will become exactly that - World. I would like the game to be taken as far as possible around the world and, surely, this will be the case, if more Neil Robertson's and Ding's came along. And, if other young prospects from around the World became a top 16 player it would be a tremendous advert for the game.
As World Snooker have an office in China, they must be looking at taking the game to other parts. Dubai may not be a possibility now or in 5 years time, but it would be nice not to see a game dominated by Brits in the UK.
Thanks, Joe
There were ranking events in Dubai in the early 1990s
Ebdon lost a dreadful final to Alan McManus in 1994, after which no more were held there
Am I right in thinking Dave Harold won his one-and-only world ranking tournament in Dubai or was that Thailand?
Like I say, for the world championships, its a tall order at the moment. On the other hand, why not bring it back into the world ranking calendar and take it from there - poor finals or not.
Thanks, Joe
Dave Harold did win his one only world ranking event in Bangkok back at the 1993 Nescafe Asian Open - he beat Darren Morgan 9-3 in the final.
Harold did have one further ranking event final, 18 months later at the New Skoda Grand Prix in Sunderland - after Victory over Stephen Hendry he lost 9-5 to John Higgins in the final
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