Ronnie O'Sullivan 'snubs invite' on eve of World Snooker Championship

has reportedly snubbed an invite to the first ever Champions Dinner ahead of the . 'The Rocket' is set to feature at the tournament when it kicks off in Sheffield on Saturday, having not played since the start of the year.

For the first time, a Champions Dinner has been organised that will see former champions of the competition attend a feast - in a similar set-up to the Masters Dinner between former winners of the green jacket.

Of the 19 ex-World Championship winners who are still currently alive, 12 players have accepted invitations to attend - including Kyren Wilson, Stephen Hendry and Steve Davis.

But O'Sullivan is one of the players who have declined the invite, according to

The 49-year-old - who is never far away from controversy - has won the World Championship seven times, which is a joint record along with Stephen Hendry.

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For those who are present at the dinner, they will be asked to "share stories, relive tournament memories on and off the table, and celebrate their shared legacy as friends and rivals".

Attendees will also be gifted a velvet black champions jacket to commemorate the event while a glass will be raised to former champions who are no longer with us - such as Ray Reardon and Terry Griffiths.

O'Sullivan will instead focus on the tournament itself, although he will be involved in the Green Carpet ceremony on Friday as the top 16 players walk from the Winter Garden to the Crucible.

O'Sullivan, ranked fifth in the , goes into the tournament as one of the favourites as he bids to break the record and claim an eighth victory.

When 1997 champion Ken Doherty waas asked about O'Sullivan's prospects, he said: “You know what Ronnie’s like, he wants to keep everybody on their toes. He’ll leave it to the last minute, there's no doubt about that. That's what he does.

“It would be really disappointing if Ronnie pulled out at this late stage. Obviously with everything that would happen with the draw it would be disappointing to see that.”

O'Sullivan's first round clash will take place against rival Ali Carter after the draw took place on Thursday morning.