SNOOKER LEGEND RONNIE SIGNS MULTI-YEAR DEAL WITH EUROSPORT

Affectionately named ‘The Rocket’ in reference to his breath-taking shot making ability on the baize, the five-time World Champion will join Eurosport’s stellar cast of snooker experts throughout the upcoming 2019 World Snooker Championship at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield.

O’Sullivan will also be chief contributor to an exclusive short-form series 60 Second Pro, to be screened on Eurosport’s linear and digital channels throughout the tournament where the potting maestro will dissect some of the key aspects of the game – covering everything from the perfect break to imparting the right amount of spin for certain shots.

Ronnie O’Sullivan said: “I am delighted to extend my association with Eurosport for another three years. Eurosport has been an important part of my professional life over the last few seasons and I can’t wait to share my opinions with viewers from right across Europe.

“It is well-known within the game that Eurosport is the go-to destination for passionate snooker fans and I’m proud to be part of that team.”

Joining O’Sullivan to analyse the best of the action during the World Snooker Championship will be six-time World Championship finalist Jimmy White, former professional stalwart Neal Foulds with respected broadcasters Colin Murray and Andy Goldstein anchoring the show and Rachel Casey conducting interviews on-site from Sheffield. Professional snooker guru Chris Henry, who has coached the likes of Shaun Murphy, Ding Junhui and Stephen Hendry, will supplement Eurosport’s coverage with unique insights into the mindset of the players during the 17-day tournament.

Over 150 hours of live coverage will be shown exclusively* on Eurosport, eurosport.com and the Eurosport App across Europe with highlights shows, replays and action from the qualifying tournament** taking that figure to well over 300 hours by the time the curtain comes down on the 42nd edition of snooker’s blue-riband event. Dave Hendon will be calling the action for Eurosport.

Eurosport first broadcast the World Snooker Championship in 2000 and has shown every tournament since 2003. In 2016, Eurosport underlined its status as the Home of Snooker when it signed a ten-year agreement with World Snooker to broadcast all of the major tournaments on the snooker calendar, including the Home Nations Series, Masters and the World Snooker Championship.

*Total exclusivity except the UK

**The qualifying tournament is available only on Eurosport Player

Notes to Editors

Key Dates for the Diary:

Saturday 20 April – Day 1 of the 2019 World Snooker Championship main tournament

Saturday 27 April – Second round begins

Tuesday 30 April – Quarter-Finals begin

Thursday 2 May – Semi-Finals begin

Monday 6 May – The final of the 2019 World Snooker Championship concludes

The 2019 World Snooker Championship will be shown on Eurosport platforms in:

Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Cyprus, Denmark, Egypt, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Kosovo, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lebanon, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Morocco, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Tajikistan, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Turkey, UK, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Vatican.

Ronnie O’Sullivan Biography

Born: 5 December 1975 (West Midlands, England)

Hometown: Chigwell, Essex, England

One of the greatest players in the history of snooker, Ronnie O’Sullivan has five world titles to his name having won the sport’s biggest prize in 2001, 2004, 2008, 2012 and 2013. During his professional career - which started in 1992 - O’Sullivan has won a total of 35 ranking tournaments and last month became the first player to record 1,000 100+ breaks in a career. Ronnie started working with Eurosport in 2014, quickly establishing himself as one of the most engaging, insightful and entertaining analysts in snooker. Away from snooker, Ronnie was awarded an OBE (Order of the British Empire) in 2016, is interested in the role nutrition can play in everyday health and his modern-day sporting idol is Barcelona and Argentina playmaker Lionel Messi.

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