Snooker star Ronnie O’Sullivan says Hong Kong ‘a great place to live’ after taking up residency
The seven-time world champion is the latest person to take advantage of the city’s Quality Migrant Admission Scheme
Seven-time snooker world champion Ronnie O’Sullivan said “good food, good friends, and being somewhere I am happy” were the driving force behind his decision to take up Hong Kong residency under the city’s Quality Migrant Admission Scheme.
Officials posted a video on social media on Thursday announcing the 48-year-old Englishman’s move, 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 snooker star called the city “a great place to live”, while acknowledging that the “[low] tax is also a good thing”.
The scheme aims to attract highly skilled or talented people to settle in Hong Kong to enhance the city’s economic competitiveness, and lawmakers hailed O’Sullivan’s decision and hoped it would encourage “other high fliers to consider the city” a place to call home.
Lawmaker Doreen Kong Yuk-foon said she was excited because O’Sullivan as “true top talent would surely bring about a positive effect to Hong Kong”.
With snooker under threat of losing its Tier A status at the Hong Kong Sports Institute, Kong said she hoped O’Sullivan might have “some brilliant views on how to develop the sport”.
