Ronnie O’Sullivan is the world’s most recognisable snooker player and one of the most accomplished in the history of the sport, having won the World Snooker Championship seven times among a galaxy of other accomplishments.
However, with a UK general election being held on July 4, he has been in the news for other reasons. On June 17, the Mirror and other newspapers reported that he had thrown his backing behind Faiza Shaheen, a young Muslim woman and socialist, who is standing as an independent candidate in his local area of Chingford and Wood Green. The present incumbent is former leader of the Conservative Party Iain Duncan Smith, one of the most rabid and reactionary anti-China voices in British politics. As the Labour candidate, Faiza reduced Duncan Smith’s majority to 1,262 at the 2019 general election but has now resigned from the Labour Party to stand as an independent after she was summarily removed as a Labour candidate as part of party leader Keir Starmer’s purge of the left. Ronnie, who announced in 2017 that he had joined the Labour Party to support Jeremy Corbyn, has now released a video saying:
“I think it’s really important we have a local person as our MP, someone who knows this community, someone who has roots here and wants the best for us. And I think Faiza is that person. I know life isn’t great for everyone. People are struggling and they think that a lot of politicians don’t understand how tough life is for them.
“Faiza has bundles of passion. She is well respected here, people know her, they see her in the café or in the supermarket. She’s one of us. When I heard she was standing, I got in touch to give her my support. To me, it’s a no-brainer. I’ll be voting for Faiza and, over the next couple of weeks, I’ll be helping to encourage people to get behind her too.”
As a snooker world champion, Ronnie has visited China many times and knows all the sport’s key Chinese players. He has a huge fan base in China and is himself a good friend of China.
On November 18, 2022, the English language online edition of China’s leading newspaper, People’s Daily published an interview with him where he recalled:
“The first time I went to China was in 1997 and we played in a snooker club out there. I think that it was very different from what China is now. China’s development in all aspects is very rapid, and people’s attention to sports has also been greatly improved.
“As far as development, I think China has done a good job of nurturing young snooker players in recent years… When I first started playing snooker, there were lots of opportunities, lots of competitions, and lots of people for me to learn from, however, that isn’t so much the case now in the UK. But China realized that and they’ve made sure that the people, the youngsters, should be involved in an environment where they can learn and try to get better, when they start to play.”
He added: “I like Chinese culture. I come from an Italian background, and my mother is Italian. I love the traditional culture that Chinese people value family very much, which is very similar to the cultural background of Italy. The family sitting together and sharing food makes me feel extra warm and relaxed. I also like Chinese food. The dim sum in Guangzhou and Shanghai and the hot pot in Chengdu are all my favourites.”
He concludes: “It’s a blessing to play for the Chinese fans, and I always want to be better for them. Every time I go to China, I want to give them the best performance I can. Thanks again to all the Chinese snooker fans who supported me. I can’t wait to go back to meet you all as soon as possible.”
We reprint the interview below and also embed the accompanying video.
On the evening of May 2, 2022, the world-famous snooker player Ronnie O’Sullivan played in his veteran style in the last frame of the 2022 World Snooker Championships final. He eventually won the match 18:13, claiming the seventh World Snooker Championship trophy of his career. It was 2 a.m. in China, but messages of congratulation flooded Chinese social media from the fans who had stayed up all night to watch the live broadcast, sending their best wishes to this snooker icon.
As a popular British snooker player in China, O’Sullivan is affectionately nicknamed Rocket because of his high-speed and smooth style of playing. The reason that O’Sullivan has such a huge number of fans, in addition to his excellent skills, is his promotion of the sport of snooker and the cultivation of talents. His love for the sport and his extraordinary personal charm were felt throughout People’s Daily Online’s conversation with him.
People’s Daily Online: You have been to China many times before. Compared with your first visit, what do you think is different in China now?
Ronnie O’Sullivan: The first time I went to China was in 1997 and we played in a snooker club out there. I think that it was very different from what China is now. China’s development in all aspects is very rapid, and people’s attention to sports has also been greatly improved.
Continue reading Ronnie O’Sullivan: Building a bridge of snooker between China and Britain