Here is the announcement as reported by the Hong Kong press

Snooker star Ronnie O’Sullivan gets Hong Kong residency as part of quality migrant scheme

The seven-time world champion is no stranger to city and says he has made ‘some good friends’ over the years

Mike Chan

Published:  31 Oct 2024

Seven-time snooker world champion Ronnie O’Sullivan has taken up Hong Kong residency under the city’s Quality Migrant Admission Scheme, the immigration department announced on Thursday.

Officials posted a video on social media announcing the 48-year-old’s arrival, hours before he appeared at a press conference in Macau to publicise an exhibition tournament that will be held there over Christmas.

Speaking to Director of Immigration Benson Kwok Joon-fung in a pre-recorded video, the Englishman and world No 5 player said he had spent a lot of time in Hong Kong, had “many really nice trips” to the city and made “some good friends” over the years.

“I’ve enjoyed my stay here; obviously snooker is very popular here as well,” the 48-year-old said. “For someone like myself traveling from other countries, the tax is also a good thing.

“Your food, your culture, it’s just a great place to live and to be, if you want to have a good life, you should come to Hong Kong.”

A professional since 1992, O’Sullivan has 41 ranking tournament titles to his name, and the former world No 1 revealed he planned to “do some work” in Hong Kong.

“I love the food, love relaxing in Hong Kong,” he said. “Maybe play some snooker, see some friends, it’s just really great to be back here.”

O’Sullivan, who had won the prestigious UK Championship a record eighth-time in York last December, is no stranger to Hong Kong, having made multiple trips to the city in recent years.

He beat local star Marco Fu Ka-chun at the Hong Kong Masters in front of some world-record crowds at Hong Kong Coliseum in 2022, before coming back for the ill-fated Hong Kong All-Star Challenge held at Queen Elizabeth Stadium in March.

And he will almost certainly be back in the city in March, when the World Grand Prix takes place at Kai Tak Sports Park, the first time a ranking tournament has been held in the city for 35 years.

Vincent Law Wing-chung, chairman of the Hong Kong Billiard Sports Control Council, said O’Sullivan had been talking about living in Hong Kong back a few years ago and “we thought he was just joking about it”.

“Previously when he came to Hong Kong, he went to run on those mountain trails, so he always had good feelings towards the city,” Law said. “He used to say there was a lot of driving for him to do that in the United Kingdom.

“So Hong Kong was a really convenient place for him because he loved running so much that he was almost crazy about it, and the fans and citizens here had always been so enthusiastic about him.”

Law said the governing body had yet to offer O’Sullivan a role, given he was still playing on the professional tour, but hoped he might help the retain elite status with the Hong Kong Sports Institute that it is expected to lose in March.

“Now it’s going to be more convenient for Ronnie to come to Hong Kong.” he said. “For now, we have no idea how much time he is staying here, but if he is to spend more time around the region, we hope he can participate more in the development of snooker in Hong Kong.

“Perhaps he could instruct our players, be an adviser, or simply meet our snooker lovers, this has to be a good thing for the sport’s overall development.”

O’Sullivan is not the only high-profile sports star to have taken up Hong Kong residency this year. Former NBA star Stephon Marbury also took the opportunity to settle in the city under the talent scheme in June.

The scheme aims to attract highly skilled or talented people to settle in Hong Kong to enhance the city’s economic competitiveness.