Ronnie O'Sullivan was criticized by local media and fans after he smoked in a press conference after his loss to Stephen Maguire in the China Open quarterfinals.

Ronnie O'Sullivan of England smokes during a press conference after his loss in China Open quarterfinals in Beijing, March 30, 2012. [My147.com]

O'Sullivan stepped into a non-smoking press conference room with a lightened cigarette in his fingers. On the right side of the podium, a non-smoking sign in both Chinese and English is on the wall.

He sat down and smoked a couple of rolls with eyes narrowed. "They don't let you (smoke) in England, but in China, you can do what you want. I like it like that," said O'Sullivan.

It was not the first time that O'Sullivan misbehaved in China Open. He was caught on camera making lewd remarks in the press conference at the time taken for the translation following his exit from the 2008 China Open.

The game's governing body, the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association punished O'Sullivan for his behavior by docking the appearance money and world ranking points that he had earned from the event.