Introduction
The announcement that snooker’s World Grand Prix is to be staged at the new Kai Tai Sports Park in Hong Kong is welcome news. The tournament to be held from March 4th to 9th in 2025 will have a capacity audience of 4,000. The opening event of the prestigious Players Series, only the 32 most successful players of the season will be able to compete. The total prize fund will increase by 84% from £380,000 to £700,000 with the top prize jumping from £100,000 to £180,000. This is a massive achievement for World Snooker, working hard to seal this deal and in unison with F Sports Promotions and the Billiards Sports Council of Hong Kong China. Another example of how World Snooker is determined to globalise snooker and distribute and hold the sport’s big hitting tournaments on an international stage.
Groundbreaking
With the success of the Hong Kong Masters firmly on their minds, a tournament last staged in 2022 where Ronnie O’Sullivan defeated Marco Fu in front of a capacity crowd of 9,000, those at World Snooker have felt that this is the right time to stage the first ranking event in Hong Kong for 35 years. You have to be an avid snooker fan to remember Mike Hallett beating Dene O’Kane 9-8 to win the the Hong Kong Open in 1989. Sadly this is the only example of a previous ranking tournament in this rich and vibrant country.
The World Grand Prix has been staged in the UK since it began in 2015 with Judd Trump defeating Ronnie O’Sullivan in the final of the 2024 event. So moving this event to Hong Kong will be a interesting watch. Marco Fu has already signalled his willingness to try and take part. With Judd Trump hoovering up all the trophies and Ronnie O’Sullivan having a purple patch, it is impossible to predict which other player could triumph in Hong Kong? However, with a 4,000 audience, the atmosphere will definitely be amazing. Hong Kong has had a long love of snooker and although it hasn’t produced many players, Fu and Ng On-Yee are the two successes. With snooker clubs like Ming Snooker, World Snooker Club 147 and Top Ten Snooker Club, the passion for snooker is definitely alive and well on this now special administrative region of China, formerly a British colony until 1997.
