00:00And also at the Crucible Theatre is Jason Ferguson, the chairperson of the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association, World
00:07Snookers Governing Body.
00:08Jason, thanks for joining us on the programme.
00:10Well, the Crucible crowd love Wu Yuzi and he's had so much praise from the game's top players too.
00:17What makes him so special?
00:20Well, he's certainly showing how special he is and it's great to be with you today, Siobhan, and be with
00:26CGTN.
00:27So, look, he's a really special young, talented player, has broken through the ranks, won Rookie of the Year.
00:33And really, this year, this last year, he's shown that he is a champion.
00:38Winning that international championship, this is a long-frame format, major ranking event of a size.
00:44And winning that event has proven, not just to him himself, which is important, but to the people around him
00:50and the other players, that he is a champion.
00:52So, he's not in a final by accident.
00:54I had a little bit of a let-off yesterday, of course, with that black, but let's be right here.
01:00This is a long-frame, 17-day event and here he is, right at the sharp end.
01:05Jason, talking of champions, Xiao Xing Tong won this tournament last year.
01:09What would it mean for China to have back-to-back winners?
01:14Well, I think we wonder just how big this sport is going to get in China.
01:18It's getting bigger every year.
01:19I remember going there some 20 years ago and struggling to find a snooker table.
01:23And here we are today, 300,000 clubs, you know, millions and millions of players.
01:29The participation is huge.
01:30The viewership is huge, as you know.
01:33You know, what does it mean to do back-to-back?
01:35Well, it would be enormous for China to win two world championships back-to-back in two years.
01:40You know, everybody thought that Xiao Xing Tong could do the double and actually break that crucible curse and win
01:47it again for a second year.
01:48You know, we don't see those multiple winners quite as often these days like we did in the era of
01:54Stephen Hendry.
01:56But actually, these young players from China, they're young, they're talented and they're of an age where they could win
02:01a number of titles back-to-back.
02:03So, look, it would be enormous and the sport is in great shape and I know he will have an
02:08enormous following in China over the next few days.
02:12Wu, like a number of the Chinese players, lives and trains in Sheffield.
02:16Does that make this being at the Crucible Theatre even more special?
02:21Well, it is. I think every player looking up at snooker on the television screen dreams one day that they
02:27will walk down the steps of the Crucible Theatre into this wonderful atmosphere.
02:32And Wu Yuzer has not only fulfilled that dream as Xiao Xing Tong, but Wu Yuzer is on the verge
02:39of greatness.
02:40Winning the World Snooker Championship will actually put him in the history books and it will be one of those
02:45great sporting moments,
02:46which everybody remembers for years and years after.
02:50And, look, it's really exciting. The game is leveled at four each. It's a long game. First to 18, let's
02:57remember.
02:58We're still in the first day of this match. It could go all the way. You just don't know what
03:02can happen.
03:03We've seen plenty of nerves of steel from Wu. Can you tell me just the mental strength that you need,
03:09particularly at such a young age, to win a tournament like this?
03:13Well, I think it's amazing how Wu Yuzer has matured as a young player, just 22 years of age.
03:18And, you know, I've been there alongside him and his family, his father in particular, through the ups and downs
03:24and the struggles to get to where he is today.
03:26But, you know, to get to where he is, he has to have that mental strength. It's not just technical.
03:32You know, snooker is a fascinating game. It's a game of chess. It's very tactical.
03:37It's a game of extreme technical skill and consistency.
03:41But, of course, there are lots of players can perform at this level in practice.
03:45There are very few that can go out there and do it at this stage.
03:48And that's where the mental strength comes in.
03:51Wu Yuzer has proven that he has that strength. He's here.
03:54You know, this event's been going on for weeks and he's here right at the end.
03:57He has what it takes to go all the way. Only time will tell.
04:01Jason, thank you very much for that. We look forward to that second session later.
04:05Jason Ferguson, the chair of World Snooker's governing body.
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