Octagon Centre put forward as possible snooker venue for world championship during Crucible revamp
“I think it would be a bit cruel to take it away from Sheffield”
Seven-time world champion Stephen Hendry has warned snooker bosses not to take the sport out of Sheffield during the upcoming Crucible renovations.
The 2026 World Snooker Championship came to a close on Monday with 22-year-old Wu Yize beating Shaun Murphy to become the second youngest champion of the modern era.
During the final, talk turned to the future of the sport after it was confirmed the tournament will remain at the Crucible until 2045.
There had been fears the event could have moved abroad.
However, Sheffield won the fight to retain the event and the Crucible is to be extended in a £45m project to allow bigger crowds.
A new venue will have to be found for the competition while the work is being carried out.
It raises the question over whether the World Championship can be held elsewhere in Sheffield in the meantime - or whether it will instead rack up in elsewhere in the UK or abroad.
In the BBC programme in which the snooker world final was aired last night, seven-time world champion Stephen Hendry said it would be “cruel” to take the tournament out of Sheffield in a warning to snooker bosses.
“I think if possible, it should stay in Sheffield," he said.
“You’ve got all the signs saying ‘Sheffield loves snooker’ all over the place, not just the Crucible, it’s the city itself. Because of the commitment they are showing, financial and everything to do this, I think it would be a bit cruel to take it away from Sheffield.”
BBC host Hazel Irvine said the city had better start “looking for other buildings” if it wants to stand a chance.
Pundit Steve Davis mooted the idea of the Octagon.
“I don’t really know, obviously that’s not my decision, but I think the Octagon is a pretty large building in Sheffield. But I don’t know what the plans are going to be. Whatever way it works out, it’s just great that it’s here for so long after all,” he said.
Meanwhile, Matchroom Sport president Barry Hearn, who spearheaded the deal for the World Championships to stay at the Crucible, expects the tournament to remain in the UK.
"If I was a gambling man I would go odds-on it stays in the UK," Hearn told the BBC in April.
"But being the money man I am, if the right offer comes in I will have to consider it. Great Britain is the home of snooker, it is where we grew up as a sport, and I'm very loath to move it anywhere else.
"I have a great relationship with the BBC and you don't want to take it anywhere that has a different time zone. There are opportunities to take it elsewhere, but these opportunities come with downsides.
"As much as I love the Crucible, it's getting a bit aged - it was becoming not fit for purpose and money needed to be spent. It's a one or two-year gap, but everyone will put pressure on to make it just one year away. We have to really try to make it just one year."
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