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Hong Kong Sports Institute
SportHong Kong

Snooker gets stay of execution from funding cuts at Hong Kong Sports Institute

  • Cue sports, tennis, and gymnastics all given two-year extensions as elite ‘Tier A’ sports having been on the chopping block
  • ‘Hong Kong Masters showed we can unite local community like Olympic medal sports do,’ the city’s snooker chief says

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Marco Fu Ka-chun celebrates after his Hong Kong Masters semi-final win. Photo: Dickson Lee
Shirley Chui

Snooker in the city has received a belated New Year’s gift, with the Hong Kong Sports Institute extending its “Tier A” status until March 2025.

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With their funding set to be cut in April, the Hong Kong Billiard Sports Control Council (HKBSCC) was told on Wednesday it had been given a two-year extension as an elite sport because of the postponement of the Asian Games in Hangzhou.

HKBSCC chairman Vincent Law Wing-chung said the move was encouraging but added that he hoped the Sports Commission would review it requirements for future funding.

“The Hong Kong Masters in October showed that we can unite local communities like the Olympic medal sports do,” Law said. “More than 8,000 people came to see the event – not because we are Asian Games or Olympic sports, but because they love snooker.

“I hope the government can review its policy in these two years. Is it really an appropriate system to decide the destiny of elite sports?”

The audience look on during the 2022 Hong Kong Masters final at the Hong Kong Coliseum. Photo: K. Y. Cheng
The audience look on during the 2022 Hong Kong Masters final at the Hong Kong Coliseum. Photo: K. Y. Cheng

Cue sports – billiards and snooker – have been included in the elite Tier A at the HKSI since 2009, but their status was under threat as they were set to be excluded from the 2026 Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan.

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