Turkey might be on the brink of losing the Champions League final but it can console itself with hosting a world snooker ranking tournament for the first time in September.
In the same week that coronavirus concerns have prompted UEFA to look for an alternative host for its all-English showpiece, World Snooker Tour announced that Antalya will stage the inaugural Turkish Masters.
The sport's governing body said in a statement: "WST will closely monitor all guidelines on travel and Covid safety, working with governments in the UK and overseas."
𝙒𝙚'𝙧𝙚 𝙜𝙤𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤 𝙏𝙐𝙍𝙆𝙀𝙔 🇹🇷 WST will stage an event in Turkey for the first time next season when the Turkish Masters takes place in the beautiful city of Antalya! 👉 https://t.co/rLK8nk2ktP pic.twitter.com/7kPAkXvBuG — World Snooker Tour (@WeAreWST) May 11, 2021
The tournament, which will provisionally run between September 27 and October 3, will feature 64 players competing for total prize money of £500,000.
The announcement continues WST's policy of expansion after it announced a tour stop in Saudi Arabia last year, although it was subsequently shelved due to coronavirus concerns.
World number one Judd Trump said he was "very excited" by the news, adding to WST: "It's always been a dream of mine to play in different countries and cities."
