Bowling operators are, once again, pleading for their centres to be allowed to reopen for business.
The bowling industry has been hit hard by the surge in Covid-19 cases this year and the reimposition of the Movement Control Order.
Categorised under Phase 3 of the National Recovery Plan (NRP), the bowling centres have no timeline to resume operations.
As bills and maintenance costs mount, bowling operators are appealing to the authorities to give the green light for their centres to go under Phase 2 of the NRP to resume business sooner.
"We were the first bowling alley to be closed for MCO 3.0 which started on May 9 and it has already been more than three months of closure," lamented Sunway Megalanes assistant general manager Michelle Wong.
"In fact, this year we have only been operating for a total of 98 days which is just over three months.
"The latest MCO has been devastating to bowling centres financially and any prolonged closure would see many centres forced to close down for business.
"There are really high investments in bowling centres, and most centres operate inside shopping malls, and the rentals also require another sizeable amount.
"Rent is in fact the highest cost for bowling centres as we are still required to pay monthly rent despite the closures. And we still need to upkeep our lanes, pinsetters and computer systems even when we are not in operation.
"What we, in the bowling industry, do not understand is the rationale in which sports can be played during Phase 2 of the recovery stage.
"Bowling has always been an individual sport without sharing any equipment, yet we are always marginalised in comparison to other sports."
Ampang Superbowl marketing manager Mustafa Yassin said bowling has always played a major role in developing athletes and the sport needs some breathing space to keep the industry alive.
"Bowling centres always play a major role in developing athletes and have been used for international tournaments, state championships and even school championships," said Mustafa.
"Furthermore, most bowling centres hire locals, and a lot of them had to be dismissed during the non-operating period. This has contributed to the high unemployment rate.
"Therefore, we sincerely request the government to allow us to operate during Phase 2 instead of Phase 3 as the waiting period would be much shorter."
Of concern to the national bowlers is that the protracted closure of bowling centres means they have no facilities to continue their training. And bowling is a sport that has always delivered medals for Malaysia — especially at the Sea Games and Asian Games.