It is with great pleasure that World Women’s Snooker (WWS), the Chinese Billiards and Snooker Association (CBSA), and Cantonese Snooker (Chang Ping) announce that the inaugural World Women’s Snooker Championship will take place from March 11–17, 2024, at the Dongguan Snooker Academy, Chang Ping.
The most prestigious tournament on the WWS schedule, which is in its 41st staging, will once again provide direct qualifying to the World Snooker Tour for mixed gender players. The winner will receive a professional tour card good for two years, beginning with the 2024–2025 season.
The historic tournament has seen tremendous growth in recent seasons and will continue its expansion with a significantly increased prize fund of over £35,000 to be contested across three tournaments during the week. The most recent winner was Thailand’s Siripaporn Nuanthakhamjan, who lifted the Mandy Fisher Trophy in 2023.
The Dongguan Snooker Academy is a beautiful two-table stadium with several more tables inside the building. It is situated in Dongguan Chang Ping, about an hour’s drive from major cities in China, such as Guangzhou and Hong Kong.
Cantonese Snooker (Chang Ping), under the direction of Bobby Lee, and the WPBSA, the world governing body of snooker, in collaboration with the CBSA, China’s national regulatory organisation, will sponsor the tournament.
The World Women’s Snooker Championship will be accompanied by the World Women’s Under-21 Snooker Championship and the World Women’s Seniors Championship, which were won earlier this year by Anupama Ramachandran of India and Mary Talbot-Deegan of England, respectively.
“On behalf of our team we are all hugely excited to be heading to China for our World Championship later this season and in particular I would like to thank Bobby Lee and the CBSA for their support of the event,” stated Mandy Fisher, President of the World Women’s Snooker Association.
“The return of professional snooker to China in 2023 has underlined the importance of this market to our sport and we cannot wait to stage this iconic tournament in Dongguan Chang Ping. This tournament continues to become bigger and better with each year and the 2024 event represents a significant step forward for women’s snooker with an increased prize fund and a fantastic new venue to host the world’s best players.”
“On behalf of Cantonese Snooker, I am delighted to be able to work with WWS, the WPBSA, and the CBSA on the hosting of this major international snooker event,” Bobby Lee, Cantonese Snooker (Chang Ping), stated.
“With the rise of Bai Yulu in China, women’s snooker has seen fantastic growth in recent years. Together, we are determined to make this the best tournament staging to date and provide all of the players with an unforgettable experience!”
“Today’s announcement represents another major landmark for World Women’s Snooker and this iconic tournament which represents one of our official qualifying pathways to the World Snooker Tour,” stated Jason Ferguson, Chairman of the WPBSA.
“We are excited to collaborate with Bobby and his team at Cantonese Snooker. As a sport, our relationship with China and the CBSA is stronger than ever.”
