Sports can wait as life goes on, says snooker veteran
SIBU: Defending champion Mark Yeo is disappointed as the 8th leg of Sibu Swan City Snooker Championship was called off although he fully understands the seriousness of the Covid-19 pandemic.
He said it would be a good chance for him to defend the title but the Movement Control Order (MCO) means all sporting activities have come to a standstill.
“It would be interesting to compete in the match but with more important things in life to do now, we should pay more attention to focus on flattening the curve of the Covid-19 pandemic so that we can get back to normal lives soonest,” he added.
The championship was scheduled to start on April 9 at Southern Point Snooker Centre but has since been postponed.
There are suggestions for it to be held in August but nothing is confirmed yet.
In the last edition, Yeo persevered in a comeback victory in which he edged Steven Wong 3-2 to lift the title for the first time.
Yeo noted that there has been a decrease in the number of new cases of infection reported nationwide since the MCO went into effect on March 18.
However, there is no certainty the MCO will be lifted on April 28 or further extended.
Yeo believes that even if the MCO is lifted on April 28 there is a strong possibility that snooker will not be given the green light to resume immediately as it is an indoor sport and the crowd factor.
“I, for one, do not see any hurry in resuming the sport. Sports can wait but life cannot,” he conceded.
Yeo, a veteran who has been instrumental in promoting the sport, is somewhat grateful that the 8th leg is not going to be cancelled.
“All the participants comprising about 60 are eagerly waiting for the championship to proceed. They are very understanding and they can wait,” he observed.
Asked about the proposed Sarawak Invitational Snooker Championship initially planned for August, Yeo was uncertain about the outlook.
“There are so many factors to consider, the financial, the players and the current health crisis. Nobody knows when the Covid-19 pandemic situation can make a turn for the better. So we just have to forget about the invitational for the time being,” he said.