It appears that both the Macau Open championships and the Perrier Challenge in Hong Kong are definitely off the Professional Squash Association (PSA) Tour calendar — for now.
The Hong Kong and Macau meets, scheduled on March 4-8 and March 18-22 respectively, have been put on hold due to the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak.
The PSA released an official announcement on the postponement of both events yesterday.
When contacted, Macau Squash Association head coach Lim Chee Ming confirmed that the meet will be held either in September or October, pending a decision by the Macau Sports Bureau.
“We have no choice but to push the event back as all activities in Macau have been put on hold,” said the Pahang-born Chee Ming.
“It’s not just our event as all other public activities and venues, such as libraries and sporting arenas, have been told to close as the Macau government is doing its best to contain the virus.
“In fact, even schools and government offices here are closed until further notice,” added Chee Ming.
The Macau Open is a PSA World Tour Bronze event and is the third biggest in Asia after the China and Hong Kong Opens.
The postponement of both events will also affect the Malaysian players’ bid for valuable ranking points.
Men’s national No 1 Ng Eain Yow and Ivan Yuen, as well as the women’s trio of Low Wee Wern, Rachel Arnold and Aifa Azman were all due to compete in Macau.
A host of national back-up players were also scheduled to compete in the Perrier Challenge, which is a PSA Challenger 10 event.
Women’s national No 1 Wee Wern described the Macau Open postponement as unfortunate.
“I did well in Macau last year, (finishing runner-up to Hong Kong’s Annie Au).
“It would also have been a nice lead-up to the Asian Team Championships in Kuala Lumpur (March 25-29) because I do not have any other competitions after February,” said Wee Wern.
Malaysia will proceed with hosting the Asian Team Championships at the National Squash Centre, Bukit Jalil on March 25-29.