Ronnie O'Sullivan match halted for 'safety reasons' after Nanjing crowd fears

International Championship clash with Mink Nuthcarut had to be delayed for 'safety reasons'. Organisers had concerns over the size of the crowd inside the South New City National Fitness Center in Nanjing, China.

O'Sullivan attracts huge crowds to all his matches but tournament chiefs were not prepared for what awaited them in China. The Rocket was initially due to face Mink on the main table in the morning session but the match was delayed.

The World Snooker Tour posted on social media platform X: "Due to the amount of spectators, for safety reasons the afternoon session has been delayed until 2:50pm."

Eurosport commentator David Hendon later explained: "It actually started nearly an hour late because there was such a lot of people to get in, the previous session had to be curtailed. They had to get everybody in, it took a while."

When play eventually got underway, O'Sullivan was in excellent form against the top-ranked woman in the world. The 48-year-old won 6-3, making two centuries, including a brilliant 132 in the final frame.

It comes after O'Sullivan revealed that he had been granted residency in Hong Kong. In a video to fans, the seven-time world champion said: "I've spent a lot of time in Hong Kong. I've had many really nice trips here, got some good friends here, I enjoy my stay here.

"Obviously snooker is very popular here as well. Obviously, like myself, someone travelling from another country, the tax is also a good thing. But your food, your culture, it's a great place to live, a great place to be.

"If you want to live a life, a good life, you should come to Hong Kong. My plan in Hong Kong is obviously to do some work, but I love the food, I love just relaxing here in Hong Kong, and maybe go and play some snooker, it's just really nice to be back in Hong Kong again."

Speaking at a press conference last week, O'Sullivan added: "I probably do about 70 per cent of my work in China and Asia now, so I have to make a life here, I have to make a home.

"If you work a long time in a certain place you need to make it as comfortable as possible. Hong Kong is just the start for me. I know some people in Hong Kong and they said, 'We want to try and make this possible for you'. Maybe Macau will be the next one because obviously I have some friends in Macau that are saying it's a good idea to do something in Macau as well."