THE World Snooker Tour have confirmed that nine events will take place before Christmas in their provisional calendar, including the UK Championship at the York Barbican.

The event is scheduled to run from Tuesday, November 24 to Sunday, December 6 and will be the first Triple Crown tournament of the 2020/21 season.

The ongoing Betfred World Championship was one of the first indoor sporting events in the UK to be played in front of a crowd, with spectators being limited and socially distanced.

But, a revision of Government guidelines meant that the tournament reverted to being staged behind closed doors.

In spite of supporters not being able to attend tournaments at present, WST chairman Barry Hearn confirmed that there will be no prize money reduction.

Hearn said: “We are delighted to announce a full calendar.

“In recent months there has been uncertainty for all sports in terms of future events but we have worked alongside all of our partners to find solutions.

“Our players and fans will be thrilled to see that we have a packed schedule for the first half of 2020/21.

“For the players there are plenty of opportunities to compete and I am delighted to confirm that there will be no reductions in prize money for the above events, despite the current Covid-19 crisis.

“We are excited to be working with our broadcasters including BBC, Eurosport, ITV, Discovery, DAZN, Matchroom Live and many other television companies, bringing top class sporting action to many millions of fans across the globe.

“We are working towards confirming plans for the second half of the 2020/21 season, with full details to be announced later this year.”

The Barbican has hosted the UK Championship every year since 2010.