World-class snooker players cue enthusiasm in Lhasa

Over the weekend in Lhasa, Xizang autonomous region, world-class billiard players leaned into their strategies across broad, green tables and executed smooth, precision strokes.

The soft thumps of cue shots drove white cue balls toward their targets at carefully chosen speeds and rates of spin. The clicks and clacks of impacts, large or small, followed every shot.

Sometimes a shot scored points. Other times, players found a safe position for the cue ball to vex — or snooker — their opponents.

Tense silence between the shots of the masters was broken by intermittent gasps, groans or applause from the spectator gallery.

Billiards enthusiasts in Lhasa were enthralled as they watched the match-ups of world snooker champions. The streets of the city, as well as its sports and cultural center, teemed with people on Sunday afternoon, as many waited to watch the competition.

It was all part of the rising popularity of billiard games in the region, where climate and altitude make outdoor sports difficult.

On Sunday, renowned British snooker player Ronnie O'Sullivan and China's top player, Ding Junhui, played Geng Yuan and Ogyen Dorje respectively — the runner-up and winner of the qualifying match in 2023 Lhasa snooker championship. Then, on Monday, the first day of 2024, Ding challenged O'Sullivan.

After many rounds of fierce competition, Ding overpowered O'Sullivan 6-5, winning five consecutive innings after being down 1-5.

Kunga Dondrub, a snooker enthusiast and a billiards club operator, said he could not get a ticket to watch the matches in person, although he saw them online.

"It's a great thing for these top snooker champions to play in Lhasa," Kunga Dondrub said.

Lhasa held two snooker challenge rounds — in 2018 and 2019. Jointly organized by the Lhasa Municipal People's Government and the Chinese Billiards Association, the 2023 Lhasa Snooker Celebrity Challenge was held in December.

The event was divided into two stages — preliminary qualifiers and the challenge matches. The preliminary round featured 64 local snooker enthusiasts competing over a span of four days. Ogyen Dorje and Geng Yuan, who emerged as the champion and runner-up, were then selected by draw to challenge Ding Junhui and O'Sullivan on Sunday.

Ding and O'Sullivan both defeated their opponents 5-1.

Reflecting on the match, O'Sullivan acknowledged the challenge posed by the high altitude — 3,650 meters above sea level — but said he adjusted in time, so it did not affect his performance. He praised Ding for helping to deliver an exciting match to spectators.

"This is my first time in Lhasa," O'Sullivan said. "It's an incredible experience to see everybody, and I am excited to be here. It's a great experience."

He added that he had never before played at such a high altitude, and said he struggled with the low oxygen up to the day of the matches.

Ding expressed his desire to witness more amateur events in Lhasa and said he hoped to encourage greater participation from the local community.

Ogyen Dorje, the champion of 2023 Lhasa snooker competition, said increasing numbers of residents are taking part in billiards, and the overall quality of the sport is rising steadily.

"I usually only watch the world-famous snooker players on television, but this time I am excited to have the chance to play with them. I hope more people will take part in the future," he said.

He Zhiwei, president of the Tibet Billiards Association, said the proportion of people participating in billiards in Xizang is among the highest in the country.

He said with the inauguration of Xizang's first billiards school, the establishment of the Xizang Billiards Association and the increasing number of professional billiards venues being set up in different cities, billiards has captured the people's interest in the region and has emerged as a highly favored leisure sport.

As of December, Xizang has about 3,400 billiards clubs and related enterprises, including around 720 in Lhasa. Some 500,000 tourist visits involve the billiards sports annually, according to the association, with more than 5,000 people in the region engaged in billiards-related businesses, including about 1,000 in Lhasa.

"Xizang has a long history of billiards. Tibetan billiards — or what is Kyidrom in Tibetan — has a history of 200 years. The sport has transformed from being dedicated to nobility to a common sport for everyone today," He said.

The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, with a climate characterized by strong ultraviolet radiation and low oxygen, is not recommended for high-intensity sports activities. But billiards offers a suitable alternative. It is an indoor activity that does not involve intense physical exertion, he said.