Ronnie O'Sullivan withdraws from International Championship in Nanjing for medical reasons

Ronnie O'Sullivan has withdrawn from the International Championship in Nanjing, China, on medical grounds. The 50-year-old was due to play a qualifying match at Leicester on September 17, but that match is now off. He had already pulled out of the British Open and English Open earlier this month, leaving his long break from UK ranking events in focus. O'Sullivan last played a ranking tournament in the UK in September 2026. With the International Championship qualifier now removed, his absence from home events will exceed a year. His recurring medical issues have tended to ease during events in China, and he played both the China Open and Wuhan Open earlier this season. That makes his latest withdrawal from a Nanjing-based event more significant. The decision is not purely about ranking points. Travel from England to Leicester, then on to China, plus the physical toll of matches, creates a demanding schedule at age 50. O'Sullivan has always chosen his battles carefully, but missing three events in quick succession sends a clear signal about his health or his confidence in managing the tour. Fans may still see him at other Chinese events before the end of the year. Yet Nanjing will be without the seven-time world champion, and the question is whether this is a temporary setback or the start of an even more selective career. For snooker, the broader issue remains the growing burden placed on veteran players. When icons like O'Sullivan start skipping tournaments, administrators need to ask whether the calendar is sustainable.