Scottish Open to be held in Scotland for first time in 3 years

• Edinburgh will host the snooker tournament for the first time since 2019.
• Fans will be warmly welcomed in Edinburgh.
• The first Scottish Open was held back in 1981.

The Scottish Open will return to Scotland for the first time since 2019 at the new Meadowbank Sports Centre in Edinburgh.

The World Snooker Tour is heading to Edinburgh

Info: https://t.co/PlIPcN7reJ pic.twitter.com/fdqKhqcmVk

— World Snooker Tour (@WeAreWST) June 24, 2022

It will be the first professional snooker tournament held in the nation’s capital in 19 years, as the new Meadowbank Sports Centre prepares to open its doors next month.

Read more: Chinese snooker star Liang suspended over assault conviction

The facility hosted both the 1970 and 1986 Commonwealth Games before closing in 2017 for a £47 million restoration.

Milton Keynes and Llandudno hosted previous iterations of the festival, which will be held from November 28 to December 4 this year.

Meadowbank Sports Centre manager Donald Goldsmith stated, “We’re delighted to be hosting the Scottish Open at the newly refurbished Meadowbank Sports Centre.

“Meadowbank has been an important part of Scotland’s sporting history for many years and our new centre will build on this legacy.“

Snooker fans will be greeted with the warm Edinburgh Leisure welcome that we are renowned for.”

Last year’s runner-up, John Higgins, described the Open’s return to Scotland as “brilliant news.”

“It’s brilliant news for the Scottish players as we have really missed the chance to play in our home tournament over the last couple of years,” added Higgins.

Read more: Snooker’s Jamie O’Neill suspended for playing inebriated and for improper way of behaving towards female staff

Despite losing last year’s championship against Luca Brecel, Higgins reached six finals during the season and won the Championship League.

The 47-year-old feels “trophies will follow” if he continues to exert pressure on his opponents leading up to the 2022 Scottish Open.

“If I keep knocking on the door then I think the trophies will follow.”

Ronnie O’Sullivan is an inspiration because he is still winning the big tournaments at his age so hopefully I can do the same.”

Steve Dawson, chairman of the World Snooker Tour, stated, “We know how disappointed the Scottish fans and players were to miss out on a tournament in their homeland last year, so we are extremely pleased to move the event to Edinburgh this time.

“It’s a new venue for this superb event and we’re excited about bringing snooker to this top-class facility in the Scottish capital.“

There is a long history of excellent snooker players hailing from Scotland, and we know that the fans like the sport.

Read more: Ronnie O’Sullivan soars into world semis and plays as a ‘superstar’

“This is their chance to get behind their heroes and experience a live event of the highest quality.”

The first Scottish Open was held in 1981 under the name International Open, and Steve Davis was the winner. In 2016, it was reinstated as a permanent feature on the schedule.