Snooker great O'Sullivan cues up new life - as a Hongkonger

Michael Shum

Seven-time snooker world champion Ronnie O'Sullivan has been granted Hong Kong residency through the Quality Migrant Admission Scheme, making him one of the most notable figures to migrate to the city through the program.

In a video released by the Immigration Department, British legend O'Sullivan recalled his "nice trips" to Hong Kong, having played multiple tournaments in the city in the past.

"I have spent a lot of time in Hong Kong, had many really nice trips here, got some good friends here and I enjoy my stay here. Obviously snooker is very popular here as well," O'Sullivan said.

"For someone like myself traveling from another country, tax is also a good thing, but the food, the culture - [Hong Kong] is just a great place to live in," he said. "If you are going to live your life and want to have a good life, you should come to Hong Kong."

As to his plans after starting to reside in Hong Kong, O'Sullivan said: "I love the food and like relaxing here in Hong Kong. [I will] maybe play some snooker, see some friends. It's just really nice to be in Hong Kong again."

O'Sullivan, 48, is widely recognized as one of the most talented and accomplished players in snooker history, having won the World Snooker Championship seven times, a modern-era record he jointly holds with the "King of the Crucible" Stephen Hendry.

He has also won a record eight Masters titles and a record eight UK Championship titles for a total of 23 Triple Crown titles, the most achieved by any player. He holds the record for the most ranking titles, with 41, and has held the top ranking position multiple times.

The Englishman began playing snooker at age seven and soon became a noted amateur competitor: winning his first club tournament at age nine, making his first competitive century break at age 10 and winning the British Under-16 Championship at age 13.

He turned professional in 1992 at 16 and had already started to show his dominance by beating Hendry, who was topping the world rankings at the time, in the UK Championship final in 1993.

This was the first of O'Sullivan's record eight titles in the tournament.

Known for his fast and attacking style of play, O'Sullivan gained the nickname "The Rocket" after winning a best-of-nine frame match in a record 43 minutes during his debut season as a professional.

O'Sullivan has played in Hong Kong a few times in recent years, including the Hong Kong Masters in 2022, in which he said he felt like a singer performing a show and promised to return to Hong Kong.

He has kept his promise, attending the 2024 Hong Kong Snooker All-Star Challenge in March this year.

O'Sullivan, a running enthusiast, once experienced trail running in Hong Kong, and praised the city's views, saying he can run five to 10 kilometers and that a morning jog helps him organize his thoughts and play better. He said he can "reach nature" within 20 minutes in Hong Kong, something that would have taken hours in the UK.

According to the Immigration Department's website, the Quality Migrant Admission Scheme seeks to attract highly skilled or talented persons to settle in Hong Kong in order to enhance the city's economic competitiveness. Successful applicants are not required to have secured an offer of local employment before settling in Hong Kong.

All applicants are required to fulfill a set of prerequisites before they can be awarded points under one of two tests, the general points test and achievement-based points test, and compete for quota allocation with other applicants.

michael.shum@singtaonewscorp.com

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