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Australian world No.2 Neil Robertson says the return of snooker of June 1 can help the sport take centre stage in a sport-starved world.
Neil Robertson believes snooker has a golden opportunity to raise its international profile when it becomes the first sport in the UK to return following the coronavirus outbreak.
Snooker will resume on June 1, along with horse racing, when it hosts The Championship League event behind closed doors in Milton Keynes, north of London.
All players, staff, and contractors will all be tested for Covid-19 before entering the venue, and kept in isolation until their results are known.
The Marshall Arena, which will host the event, boasts on-site accommodation allowing everyone involved to be contained in a bio-secure environment with social distancing measures in place throughout the tournament.
A similar set-up is what the England and Wales Cricket Board are hoping to adopt to host Test matches against the West Indies and Pakistan and potentially Australia for a one-day and T20 series.
With the Olympics, Wimbledon, the European Football Championships and The Hundred Cricket competition postponed or put on hold until next year, Robertson says snooker can lead the way in a sport-deprived world.
"There seems to be a bit of uncertainty as to when the Premier League will be back and with Wimbledon and the Euros also off, it really gives us a chance to be centre stage," Australian world No.2 Robertson told AAP.
"Like all sportsmen and women around the world, we've been in limbo.
"But after it was announced the world championships will be held from July 31 we've at least had a date in mind to plan towards to a return.
"Snooker is probably the best television sport you can have and hopefully we can get some extras eyes on us from people who are desperate to watch some live sport."
Barry Hearn, chairman of promoter Matchroom Sport, who are the organisers of The Championship League said snooker's return is a huge coup for the game.
"During the challenging times of the past few weeks, we have examined the opportunities which still exist and worked relentlessly towards the goal of getting our tour going again," Hearn said
"While most other sports remain sidelined, we are ready to return from 1 June. This sends out a message to the sporting world that snooker is at the forefront of innovation.
"Our first priority has to be safety and we have had detailed discussions with government in creating a set of approved guidelines for the event which will be rigorously followed. We are making this very clear to the players and everyone working on the event."
The World Championship, has been rescheduled to run from July 31 to August 16 at its usual home in Sheffield's Crucible Theatre.
