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Don’t overlook snooker
Hayley Sum, St Paul’s Convent School
Despite Hong Kong lifting a ban that stopped children under 16 from entering snooker halls from 8pm to 10am, efforts to promote the sport are still far from adequate. A lack of facilities and discontent among aspiring professional players are just some of the barriers to the growth of the sport.
Hong Kong teenager Shaun Liu Yu-sang is a snooker prodigy who became the first player from the city to win the English Under-14 Championship in 2023. He moved to the United Kingdom the same year, telling the South China Morning Post it was due to a better chance of success there than in his hometown.
This raises a discussion. Resources in Hong Kong are simply inadequate to support aspiring snooker players. With few private halls and only a single government-funded venue available at Shun Lee Tsuen Sports Centre, passionate players would be hard-pressed to find a convenient spot to play. Even the addition of two to three more billiard tables in the current government facilities could be significant.
Thankfully, the Hong Kong Billiard Sports Control Council has not completely turned a blind eye to the sport’s gradual waning in popularity.
Earlier this year, the Council posted a 2025/26 Snooker Promotion Scheme on its website. Posters in government facilities have further popularised the course. The event has been met with great enthusiasm, with both April and August phases reaching complete registration. Classes are held at seven private snooker halls and the Shun Lee Tsuen Sports Centre.
But will this scheme achieve its goal of discovering promising talent within the field? The courses are aimed at teenagers and adults, much older than the ages professional snooker players usually begin playing, eight to 12 years old. To truly allow the sport to prosper, would it not make more sense for courses to target children as well?
Furthermore, three world-class snooker players – Ronnie O’Sullivan, Judd Trump and Neil Robertson – have acquired Hong Kong citizenship in the past year. This striking trend shows the potential of Hong Kong as an international hub for the sport.
Steps have already been taken to construct this identity, with a contract signed for future World Snooker Grand Prix events to be held in the city for the coming five years.
Installing more tables and loosening restrictions are only the first steps in reviving the sport. With multiple top players favouring Hong Kong as a second home and coming international competitions in local stadiums, there is no better time to give a helpful boost to the sport, especially to support young players who have set their sights on snooker as a career.
Duolingo should never go ‘AI First’
Zoie Loo Sheung-yin, St Paul’s Secondary School
I’m writing regarding Duolingo’s recent announcement about going “AI First”. Duolingo is a habit-forming application that helps people around the world learn languages. It is loved by many and has especially charmed users with its green mascot, Duo.
However, in late April, Duolingo CEO Luis von Ahn announced that the company would be going “AI First”, meaning all translations would be done and taught by artificial intelligence (AI). This surely would not affect user experience – or would it?
Duolingo built its entire brand on a little chaos, charm, genuine human creativity, quirky sentences and passive-aggressive notifications. AI would not only make Duolingo lose its spark but also turn the creativity-filled app into an automated one without a soul.
Duolingo should never go “AI First”. While von Ahn called the technology more efficient and scalable in a late April announcement, it actually makes the app rigid and soulless.
I believe the general public does not want AI in every corner of our lives. Duolingo was supposed to be human, funny, flawed and personal, with actual professionals behind the app that guided users. But all this seems to be going down the drain as they go “AI First”.
Previously, Duolingo’s lessons were written by linguists, tested by real educators and voiced by people. But now, since AI will be replacing these professionals, many will be laid off, simply because it was decided that robots can do it better.
Professional human translators have been fired in favour of AI. Von Ahn also announced that the company will phase out contractors for work that can be handled by AI. This not only poses a threat to the media workforce but also suggests that this is just the beginning of AI’s involvement in our everyday lives, which is definitely not what the public wants.
In short, I believe that Duolingo is better off without AI. AI should only be seen as secondary help to human creativity.
Being kind could save lives
Angie Leung, King Ling College
I was very sad to read about the recent tragedy in Tsuen Wan that took four lives. Police believed the suspect’s motive stemmed from mental health problems. This made me think about how important it is to care for people who are sad and struggling inside.
The man involved had been seeing a doctor for depression, but it seems that was not enough. Before the tragedy, he wrote online that he was scared he could not take care of his family. Sometimes people are in a lot of pain, but they do not always show it. Mental health struggles are just as real as physical ones.
I believe mental health should be treated with the same importance as physical health. In school, I have friends who seem sad or quiet. When I ask if they are OK, sometimes they open up. It shows how a little kindness can help someone feel better. We should always be ready to listen and care for our friends, even if they do not talk about their feelings.
This sad story makes me think that we need to talk more about mental health. It should not be something people are afraid to mention. Everyone needs to feel like they can ask for help when they need it. If we treat our minds with care, we can help prevent situations like this from happening again.
In my opinion, we need to change how we think about mental health. If someone is sad or struggling, they should be able to talk to someone they trust. It is important to be kind and show support to those who may feel alone.
If you have suicidal thoughts or know someone who is experiencing them, help is available. In Hong Kong, you can dial 18111 for the government-run Mental Health Support Hotline. You can also call +852 2896 0000 for The Samaritans or +852 2382 0000 for Suicide Prevention Services. For a list of other nations’ helplines, see this page.
