Ronnie O'Sullivan withdraws from 2026 International Championship due to medical reasons

Ronnie O'Sullivan has pulled out of the 2026 International Championship in Nanjing, China, for medical reasons. The 50-year-old Englishman was due to play a qualifying match in Leicester on September 17. He had also withdrawn from the British Open and English Open. His last ranking event in the UK was in September 2026. Interestingly, O'Sullivan had competed in China earlier this season, playing in the China Open and Wuhan Open, which suggested his long-standing medical issues tend to ease during Chinese events. Despite that, he has now decided to skip the Nanjing tournament, raising concerns about his fitness and future schedule. The snooker world will wait to see when the Rocket can return to competitive action, but his health must come first. Fans hope he will recover soon and continue to delight audiences with his extraordinary skill.