Hong Kong minister apologises after snooker fans kicked out early at Kai Tak Arena
Sports chief Rosanna Law dismayed that organiser booted out spectators before end of match at World Grand Prix
Rosanna Law Shuk-pui, secretary for culture, sports and tourism, expressed her sympathies on Wednesday to those affected the day before and ordered the event organiser, World Snooker Tour, and venue operator to let audiences stay until the end of matches even if they overran in the coming days.
“As the secretary for culture, sports and tourism, I want to express my concern and apologies to the affected fans for the less than ideal situation in this incident,” Law said.
“The snooker match was really exciting and all the players tried their best to win the games. That’s why it took a little bit longer than expected for the second match to start in the evening. Eventually, the match went on until midnight.
“It is not ideal to vacate Kai Tak Arena before the match is finished. This is a communication issue between the event organiser and the park’s operator. They need to step up efforts to work together.”
She added that the two parties had to learn lessons, including about how to handle events that overran.