Hong Kong’s high-profile snooker professionals Marco Fu Ka-chun and Ng On-yee have joined forces to stop billiard sports from being demoted by the Hong Kong Sports Institute next April. A new social media campaign #CuesportsNagoya2026 aims to have their sport included in the 2026 Asian Games in Nagoya and as a result halt the HKSI’s decision to demote their Tier A status. Earlier this month the Home Affairs Bureau’s Sports Commission informed Hong Kong Billiard Sports Control Council that cue sports (billiards and snooker) would be demoted to Tier B if they did not participate in, or expect to participate in, at least three Asian Games or Olympic Games between 2010 and 2030. After featuring in the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games, billiard sports will return in 2030 in Doha, but are not yet included in the 2026 edition in Japan. Cue sports will fall short of one Asian Games if they are not included. Both Fu and Ng have been rallying their supporters on social media, promoting the campaign logo and asking fans to share. “Please share if you support cue sports in Asia,” Fu wrote. The post has since received roughly 300 likes and 60 shares. In launching the campaign, HKBSCC said their Tier A status was “hanging in the balance”. “As for now, the list of sports of the 2026 Asian Games in Nagoya has not been finalised, so billiard sports still has a chance,” a spokesperson said. “So we ask you to share our #CuesportsNagoya2026, so that people will know the objective and the reason behind our campaign”. The campaign launched in Chinese, English, and Japanese. Vincent Law Wing-chung, the chairman of HKBSCC, said he was pleased with the encouraging comments received this week and has said that stickers for athletes and supporters would be printed the following week. “We have created a logo hoping that more people will notice what we are doing. It will be a symbol of unity of the Hong Kong cue sports community,” said Law, adding that “if this campaign can get off the ground, I believe it can make it into the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.” “We will seek assistance from the Sports Federation and Olympic Committee of Hong Kong for this purpose, and we will also ask other cue sports associations in Asia to speak to their local OC. “I hope it will not just be a Hong Kong issue, it is for the whole cue sports community in Asia,” Law added. Last week, Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor said she was alerted to a financial crisis for snooker when she received a text message about it from Fu, who has won three world ranking tournaments in his career. Previously, Fu voiced his disappointment and sadness over a possible relegation to Tier B status, saying a dramatic reduction in support and funding for our sport would be hurting our youngest players the most, who would have fought for Asian Games medals for Hong Kong in 2030.” Billiards and snooker were part of the Asian Games four times in a row from 1998 to 2010, with Fu leading Hong Kong’s haul of four gold, three silver and three bronze medals. Cue sports have been a Tier A sport with HKSI since 2009. If they are downgraded to Tier B, they would lose 80 per cent of the funding, which amounts to millions of dollars, and players will lose 50 to 60 per cent of their training grants, as well as training and logistical support from HKSI. There are 39 funded players in cue sports, in elite and junior categories. Including Fu and Ng, 13 players receive elite monthly funding of HK$32,700 to HK$38,540 (US$4,000 to US$5,000). Demotion to Tier B would roughly halve this. HKBSCC sent a letter on April 8 to the Sports Commission urging it to reconsider or extend billiard sports’ Tier A status until 2026, pending the final decision from the Organising Committee of the 2026 Asian Games.