Hong Kong’s Ng On-yee wins British Open, Wang back on World Snooker Tour, as 80% funding cut hangs over sport
- Ng wins title for first time in her career with 4-1 victory over Thailand’s Mink Nutcharut
- Wang reaches last four of Q-school, secures spot on tour for 2024-25 and 2025-26 seasons
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Faced with the threat of losing almost all of their funding, Hong Kong’s snooker players have been doing their best to convince the government to reverse its decision to kick them out of the elite sports institute next year.
And head coach Wayne Griffiths, who has responsibility for billiard sports, heaped praise on his charges for continuing to deliver results despite a seemingly bleak future.
On Sunday, Ng On-yee won the British Open for the first time in her career, while compatriot Wang Yuchen reached the final four of Q-school in Leicester a day earlier to earn a spot on the World Snooker Tour for the 2024-25 and 2025-26 seasons.
Removal from the Hong Kong Sports Institute’s elite list would result in a funding cut of up to 80 per cent, and take away the athletes’ rights to use the best training facilities.
“This was On-yee’s 20th world ranking event victory in a career spanning over 14 years,” Griffiths said. “The fact that she can stay so long at the very top of the sport is a testament to her work ethic and mental strength.
“She works both hard and smart and is a fantastic role model for all young athletes in Hong Kong.”
Ng, 33, beat Mink Nutcharut of Thailand 4-1 to win her third ranking title of the season, after previous victories in Australia and Albania.
“For our players to be still returning world-class results under the shadow of the news that the government is considering removing billiard sports from HKSI, makes everyone involved with the sport very proud of our talented and dedicated players,” Griffiths said.
“Our continued focus now is to keep working hard and to keep securing more results in an attempt to persuade the government to keep us at Tier A at HKSI until we return to the [Doha] Asian Games in 2030.”
Vincent Law Wing-chung, chairman of the Billiard Sports Council of Hong Kong, China, also said the players deserved recognition for delivering results under tremendous pressure.
“I think their resilience and abilities have explained why billiards is a Tier A sport and deserves to be so,” he said. “I just fail to see any sensible counterargument.”
On Saturday, Wang bounced back from a two-frame deficit to beat Wales’ Dylan Emery, securing a spot on the world tour for the next two seasons. It will be his second time on tour, having previously played for two seasons from 2016.
Born in Henan in 1997, Wang, who is the city’s top-ranked player, moved to Hong Kong via the Quality Migrant Admission Scheme in 2020, and head coach Griffiths, who has been at the helm since 2010, compared the 26-year-old to three-time ranking tournament winner Fu.
“Wang’s unflappable manner around the table is very similar to Fu, neither of them gives a lot away in terms of body language,” he said. “This affects opponents more than one might think.
“Add to this, a rock-solid technique, a strong desire to win and an improving mindset, and we have another talented player representing Hong Kong on the world tour.”
