Covid-19: Ng On-yee misses out on Ronnie O’Sullivan clash after UK ‘placed in highest risk category’
- Women’s world No 2 was to face six-time world champion in group stages of Championship League in Leicester in what would have been her pro debut
- Ng decides to heed advice of Hong Kong Sports Institute’s medical team and stay in Hong Kong, with Covid-19 cases surging in UK
Ng On-yee’s hopes of a glamour professional debut against six-time world champion Ronnie O’Sullivan have been dashed with the Hong Kong snooker player forced to pull out of this month’s Championship League in the UK because of Covid-19 concerns.
Hong Kong’s three-time women’s world champion was looking forward to facing her idol, The Rocket, on July 20 in Leicester in her preliminary group that also features Englishmen Mark Joyce and Ian Burns.
However, Wayne Griffiths, head coach at the Hong Kong Sports Institute, said organisers were informed on Wednesday night that Ng would be withdrawn because of the deteriorating Covid-19 situation in the UK.
“I can confirm that On-yee has withdrawn from the Championship League based on recommendations from the HKSI’s sports medicine department,” Griffiths told the Post. “The UK has been placed in the highest risk A1 category so we have to consider athlete welfare as our main priority.
“We will continue to monitor the situation closely and we hope to enter upcoming WST [World Snooker Tour] events as soon as it is considered safe to do so.”
The United Kingdom appeared to have overcome a surge in coronavirus cases until last month when infections started to once again rise dramatically. After averaging more than 24,000 new daily cases for more than a week, the UK recorded more than 32,000 infections on Wednesday with officials blaming the Delta variant.
Last week, the Hong Kong government raised the UK’s Covid-19 danger level to A1 and banned flights from the country, making it difficult for the likes of Ng and other Hong Kong athletes to return to the city after completing their events.
Ng has been unable to compete in competitions for more than a year and was hoping to launch her professional career against one of the greatest ever players in O’Sullivan.
The women’s world No 2 was earlier this year given a two-year card for the mainstream World Snooker Tour along with top-ranked and 12-time women’s world champion Reanne Evans.
