“For me, I like restrictions. . . You don’t have to hang out with people, with crowds. It’s just a quiet life,” O’Sullivan told AFP at a news convention on Wednesday.
The seven-time world champion, along with five of the world’s most sensible players, landed in China’s financial hub for the four-day Hong Kong Masters, which begins Thursday.
Hong Kong began easing some of its pandemic restrictions, which followed a more relaxed edition of China’s zero-Covid strategy, but were still among the strictest in the world.
The city lifted its unpopular mandatory quarantine at hotels last month, but is banned from restaurants and bars for the first 3 days after arrival.
Starting from his usual irreverent tone, O’Sullian said he “complied” with regulations and even controlled to place a silver lining, claiming he eliminated distractions.
“When you play sports, you just need to be left alone and allowed to play your game. “
But local snooker star Marco Fu posted on Facebook that he spent a smart hour coaching players around the world on how to use Hong Kong’s touch-tracking app, which is mandatory for entering restaurants, bars and many public places.
Four-time world champion John Higgins said wanting to wear a mask in Hong Kong brought back bad memories of life during the pandemic in Britain.
“It’s just that you have to hold on,” Higgins said.
“Hopefully life (in Hong Kong) can be a little less stressful. “
The tournament marks its return after a five-year absence, and organizers are eager to pitch it as Hong Kong’s first major foreign sporting event since the pandemic began.
Vincent Law, who chairs the Hong Kong Billiards Sports Control Board, said the occasion had benefited from the lifting of hotel quarantines, even as the U-turn policy left organizers struggling.
Visiting players received a partial exemption from Hong Kong’s newest Covid rules, allowing them to compete on the tournament site.
The matches will be played at the cavernous Hong Kong Coliseum, which could draw a record crowd of up to 9,000 spectators, with 90 percent of tickets sold out, Law said.
The festival will also feature Judd Trump, Mark Selby, Neil Robertson, Zhao Xintong and Hong Kong player Ng On-yee, a three-time women’s world champion.
As Hong Kong gradually reopens, most sensible players have said mainland China, once a big component of snooker’s competitive calendar, remains off-limits.
“I don’t think it can be financially viable for (the players) to quarantine seven days before the tournament starts, because we don’t have that much space on the calendar,” Selby told AFP.
“If the quarantine is reduced to what it is here in Hong Kong, tournaments can take position in China. “