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SCMP Reporter

Marco Fu's success in the World Championship will be used by officials to foster a love of the game among youngsters

Interest in snooker could surge in Hong Kong on the back of the success of local player Marco Fu Ka-chan, who last night was on target to make the semi-finals of the Embassy World Championships.

A series of school promotions has been planned to encourage more young people to learn the game on the back of Fu's success, according to Joseph Lo Tsun-ying, chairman of the Hong Kong Billiards and Snooker Control Council.

Mr Lo hopes Fu's success will change people's prejudices towards the sport.

'Traditionally, parents and schools are not very keen on snooker,' Mr Lo said. 'We have never got the kind of attention given to swimming or football. The council will do more promotion and a road show to attract more young people to join the sport.'

The promotion comes after Fu, 25, battled to reach the quarter-finals of the championship tournament and stood a good chance of reaching the semi-finals.

He was holding world No7 Stephen Lee in the first stage of the quarter-finals after winning over Scotland's Alan McManus and beating the pre-tournament favourite, Ronnie O' Sullivan.

Fu is now three wins away from becoming only the second player from outside the British Isles to lift the world crown, a feat only achieved by Canada's Cliff Thorburn in 1980.

The news was received with delight and enthusiasm in Hong Kong.  Sports leaders and snooker lovers have called on the government to give more support to the sport.

Con Conway, vice-president of the Sports Federation and Olympic Committee, said Fu's achievement was 'truly remarkable'.

'He's not only done Hong Kong proud, he's done Asia proud. We have got medal winners in the Asian Games but this is a professional competition. It is a remarkable achievement to be among the top eight players of the world in any sport,'' Mr Conway said.

He described Fu as 'one of the finest young athletes to ever come out of Hong Kong''.

Mr Lo hailed it as a 'major breakthrough for Fu as well as for Hong Kong sports. We are excited and overjoyed by his success. He has had some difficult times but now is back to his best''.

Snooker fans also were overjoyed by the news. 'He has played beyond expectations. That shows he's back in his best form,'' veteran snooker player Ah Wai said.

Mr Conway urged the government to give more support to sports development.

'One of the reasons we have health problems is because we have an illness policy, not an awareness policy,' he said.

'We must recognise that the more time you put into sports, the less time you need to spend in hospital.''

Ah also said the government did not give enough support to snooker . 'The game is not even on TV,' he said. 'Other sports such as football get much more attention. The government should provide more training programmes and more tournaments if it really wants to develop snooker.''

Mr Lo said they would ask more professional players to visit schools and introduce snooker to students.

'They will show parent and kids that snooker is a healthy and exciting sport,'' he said.

Snooker fan Gordon Chan believes more promotion is needed.

'People in Hong Kong often link snooker with triads, smoky rooms and gambling. Many parents are reluctant to let their kids go to a snooker centre. I think the government needs to do more to dispel that bias if we really want to develop the sport,'' he said.

Fu emigrated to Vancouver in 1990 with his family. His father introduced him to the game when he was just nine. He returned to Hong Kong in 1996.



Snooker star right on cue as a role model