The World Women’s Snooker Championship is underway in a huge new venue which has been built specifically for the sport.
China’s commitment to snooker is only growing stronger, as evidence by the Snooker Sports Arena in Changping, Dongguan.
The new venue is hosting the World Women’s Championship over the next week but is only in a temporary set-up.
This year’s event is already big, with eight match tables and eight practice tables, but it will get a lot bigger in future. An awful lot bigger.
The plan is that by this time next year there will be 350 tables, with the possibility of expanding to 1,000 across the giant complex.
Obviously that number is not just for the World Women’s Championship, but as part of a bid for Changping to become a ‘Snooker Strong Town’ with extensive practice facilities and the possibility of more tournaments.
With backing and support from local government, Changping, Dongguan hopes to remain the home of the World Women’s Snooker Championship for years to come.
This is the third year the tournament has been held in Dongguan, but clearly the first time in the brand new arena.
World Women’s Snooker president Mandy Fisher said ahead of the tournament: ‘We are delighted to be back in Dongguan Changping for a third successive year and even more so to be at the incredible new Snooker Sports Arena for the first time.
‘It is again fantastic to see such a strong entry for the event, which is set to be the biggest ever since WWS was founded almost 45 years ago.’
Bai Yulu is the two-time, back-to-back women’s world champion and favourite to win it for a third year on the spin this time round.
The 22-year-old is an increasingly big star in China and a home favourite in Dongguan, where she moved with her parents as a child.
Her first world title win in 2024 sparked huge viewing figures in China across various streaming platforms.
WWS reported: ‘In China, the event attracted cumulative viewing figures of 175.4 million, with a peak audience of 300,000 via the Huya streaming platform. The total accumulated viewing time totalled 104.7 million hours.
‘This was complemented by over 6 million unique viewers recorded by video-sharing platform Douyin.
‘On Western platforms the event also boasted record figures via the official WWS Facebook page, with over 725,000 total views across the week.’
Bai said of being an inspiration to girls getting into snooker: ‘Throughout all my practising, what I have always wanted to do is let more people, or more girls, see snooker, become interested, and want to try it.
‘There isn’t much I can do personally, except try my best to maintain good form and achieve good results in competitions to increase exposure, so more people want to understand the sport.’
Contenders for Bai’s title this year include England’s Reanne Evans, Thai star Mink Nutcharut and Hong Kong’s Ng On-Yee, all of whom have won the tournament before.
Bai has beaten Mink in the last two finals, winning her first world title 6-5 in 2024 and her second 6-4 last year.
The 2026 World Women’s Snooker Championship runs from May 12-19 and two tables are available to stream on the WPBSA’s YouTube.