Keir Starmer to step in to keep World Snooker Championship at Crucible - 'When and not if'
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is due to offer funding in an effort to keep the World Snooker Championship at The Crucible. The Sheffield arena’s contract to host the tournament is set to expire next year.
Council chiefs are very keen to retain the championships, albeit president of Matchroom Sport, Barry Hearn has suggested that the other venues could be considered.
The government however have stepped in, with the promise of funding, while Starmer made a visit to The Crucible last month to discuss the future of the tournament with council chiefs and local partners.
A source is quoted by The Sheffield Star saying: “The negotiations are clearly gathering pace. The Prime Minister’s appearance at the Crucible in Sheffield has given this exciting momentum and we shouldn’t underestimate the importance of his involvement.
"We need concrete action next, but the roundtable discussion showed he was engaged and pretty well informed about what this would mean for the city, for the sport and for the arts.
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“He obviously wants it to happen and he was selling the idea to those in attendance. It’s now a case of when and not if. These are encouraging times for the city.”
The Crucible has been the home of the Snooker World Championships since 1977, albeit doubt has grown with the contractual situation.
Hearn has also warned that Saudi Arabia could play host to the tournament should his demands of £1m prize money not be met.
Speaking at the time, he said: “This is something where Sheffield can only go so far, but with government assistance it can go further, and it can be maintained. So, the onus is still on Sheffield to come up with something in line with our thinking.
“This is a major event in England and yet the prize money is nowhere near where I want it to be. So, everyone understands each other's problems.
“Fingers crossed the government understands the significance of this event remaining in the UK and remaining in Sheffield.”
The 2026 World Snooker Championship gets underway on April 18 and is set to run until May 4. Chinese star Zhao Xintong heads into the latest edition as the reigning champion, having beaten Mark Williams in last year’s final.