The tournament was due to be held at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield in England from April 18 to May 4 has been postponed because of coronavirus.

The World Snooker Tour (WST) say they hope to reschedule the event for either July or August.

Any new dates for the World Championship will be preceded by the qualifying rounds, which were due to take place at the English Institute of Sport, also in Sheffield, in early April, but have also been cancelled.

WST say they are in talks with broadcasters about new dates for the event, and hope to make a further announcement soon.

"These are tough times for everyone but we are determined to get through it," said WST chairman Barry Hearn.

"Fans around the world – as well as the 144 players involved – are anxious to know if and when the World Championship will go ahead. 

"I can assure everyone that we are doing all we can alongside our broadcasters, the venues and other partners to confirm new dates as soon as possible.

“Snooker players are self-employed, they need opportunities to earn prize money so we have a responsibility to them. 

"We are currently exploring the potential to stage tournaments behind closed doors to keep the circuit alive, with more details to follow next week.

“Live televised coverage of the biggest sporting events can be an inspiration to people around the world in these challenging times so it is important that we strive to find solutions for our tournaments.”

Last week the WST cancelled another of its events, the Coral Tour Championship, due to be held in Llandudno in Wales, only a few hours before the first match was due to start.

The cancellation of the tournament came less than 24 hours after the event was put behind closed doors to comply with United Kingdom Government advice on avoiding gatherings in social venues.

New dates have been set for this event with the Tour Championship now scheduled to run from July 21 to 26 at the same venue.