Snooker star Mark Williams responds to followers after worrying photograph of him taking oxygen

Snooker legend Mark Williams shared a concerning photo of himself taking oxygen on a match table, but the three-time world champion has assured fans he is ‘fine’

Welsh snooker star Mark Williams concerned his fans as he posted a photo of himself using oxygen during a match.

The three-time world champion caused a stir on Sunday when he shared an image of himself hooked up to an oxygen tank and wearing nasal tubes. In the caption, Williams mentioned that “oxygen [was] needed at the interval” and suggested he felt like he was “going to fall over on the first frame”.

Worried fans quickly questioned his health, but the 49-year-old, who became the second-oldest winner of a snooker ranking title when he won the British Open in 2023, reassured them, explaining the oxygen was necessary due to the location of the game.

Currently, the Welshman is taking part in the 2025 Tianren Cup Lhasa Winter Plateau Snooker Challenge exhibition event in Lhasa, Tibet. This follows his trip to China last week for the CBSA Superstar Invitational event.

Due to the high altitude of Lhasa, oxygen is crucial or, as he told one concerned fan, “it’s goodnight Irene”. Responding to supporters, Williams added: “I’m fine, I’m not sick atm. It’s ’cause I’m in Tibet, 15,000 [feet] up in the sky.”

When asked by a fan if he was “going for the first ever 147 at the summit of Everest,” the Welsh native replied: “Staying on your feet is good in itself.”

Ding Junhui, Judd Trump and Xiao Guodong are also participating in the exhibition event, with Trump sharing photos of the venue on his Instagram account.