Ronnie O'Sullivan given residency outside of UK in shock move after slamming events

Ronnie O'Sullivan has become a resident of Hong Kong amid criticism of snooker events held in the UK.

'The Rocket' has not played competitive snooker since September 19, and has pulled out of several tournaments including the British Open and Northern Ireland Open.

His last appearance was at the English Open, where he suffered a surprise 4-2 defeat to world number 60 He Guoqiang in the first round.

Prior to that, barring an appearance at the Championship League, all of O'Sullivan's tournaments this season have been in China and Saudi Arabia.

Now, he has taken up residency in Hong Kong under the city's Quality Migrant Admission Scheme.

He appeared in a press conference in Macau - another administrative region of China - to announce the news and publicise an exhibition tournament that will be held there over Christmas.

Seven-time #snooker world champion Ronnie O'Sullivan has been granted Hong Kong residency through the Quality Migrant Admission Scheme, according to an announcement released by the Immigration Department of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (#HKSAR) on Thursday. pic.twitter.com/8hCWYUp1x7

— China News 中国新闻网 (@Echinanews) October 31, 2024

O'Sullivan said in a video posted on social media: "I've enjoyed my stay here. Obviously snooker is very popular here as well.

"For someone like myself travelling from other countries, the tax is also a good thing.

"Your food, your culture, it's just a great place to live and be. If you want to have a good life, you should have come to Hong Kong."

He has long criticised the facilities at UK events and, earlier this year, O'Sullivan spoke exclusively to SPORTbible about how much he enjoys playing in Saudi Arabia and China.

During the 2024 Saudi Arabia Masters, the 48-year-old said: "The venue [in Saudi Arabia] is unbelievable. The practice facilities are fantastic.

"At home [in the UK[, you'll be at the venue, and you'll literally just go there just to get your practice in and get out there, because you don't even get a cup of tea there.

"Here, there's food all day long. There's nice sofa areas, there's changing rooms. You can have a shower. Everything's fantastic. There's plenty of practice rooms you can use, so you're not just sitting around all day, getting 20 minute knocks here or there."