MTBC want to avoid ‘Joker’ incident

Malaysian Tenpin Bowling Congress (MTBC) are not taking any risk and have decided to save the best for last.

Because of the Covid-19 pandemic, MTBC are expected to call off the Malaysia Open, scheduled for Nov 22-28, so that their bowlers can focus on the Asian Championships in Hong Kong on Jan 15-25.

“We don’t want to risk it. We cannot afford another ‘Joker’ incident,” said MTBC secretary-general Maradona Chok, referring to tennis World No 1 Novak Djokovic, who organised the Adria Tour a fortnight ago, and has since contracted the coronavirus.

“We want to be safe, so it might take awhile before we can start sending our bowlers for tournaments overseas.

“With the time we have before the Asian meet, we should be OK in terms of competitive readiness,” he added.

Last year’s Philippines Sea Games was the last international competition for the national bowlers before the government declared the Movement Control Order (MCO) in March, bringing all sporting activities to a halt.

It wasn’t until earlier this month that the 12 elite players got the nod from the National Sports Council (NSC) to resume training at the Sunway Mega Lanes in Bandar Sunway.

MTBC are set to go full swing when the rest of their bowlers report back on July 6.

According to Maradona, the players have been adapting well, even after months of staying away from the lanes.

MTBC are expected to hold an executive committee meeting this week before making any further announcements.

“So far everything looks good. We just have to stay safe and not get ourselves in any trouble as far as the virus is concerned.”