HK$100,000 Covid-19 subsidy is not enough, snooker clubs say – ‘ask landlords to lower or delay rents to help us survive’
- This will be the third time clubs receive a subsidy amid the pandemic but Hong Kong’s governing body says they would rather reopen for business
- Former club owner Chan Kwok-ming says they pay an average HK$200,000 a month for the rent and the sector is struggling to stay alive
Snooker clubs will receive another one-off payment of HK$100,000 as the government rolls out its fourth round of Covid-19 relief subsidies – but the clubs would much rather reopen for business.
This is the third time clubs are receiving financial help since the coronavirus outbreak early in 2020, with a total of HK$250,000 handed out to each club to compensate for the closures.
However, the governing body for snooker in Hong Kong says the amount offers only token support to clubs given their overheads.
“The amount is not even enough for many clubs to pay their rent for this month, let alone the staff salaries and many other costs involved in running a centre,” said Lena Lee, spokeswoman for the Hong Kong Billiard Sports Control Council. “The entire business is suffering, not only the club owners but also many of our junior athletes who rely on private clubs for their training programmes.
“They have never found any [Covid-19] cases in snooker clubs but the clubs are always the first ones to be closed when there is a fresh surge in cases. All snooker tables are separated from each other and even the players are separated from each other with minimum contact when playing.
“We have been following all the regulations for precautionary measures such as wearing masks, taking temperatures, providing hand sanitisers and site cleansing but the government has never consulted our stakeholders when they decide to close our business.
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“The clubs have been closed for more than four months because of the pandemic and we urge the government to allow us to reopen for business as soon as possible.”
Lee said the Council needed the support of clubs to provide facilities for staging domestic tournaments and they have no idea of when competitions can resume.
They were already forced to call off two ongoing tournaments – the Hong Kong Under-21 Snooker Open Championships and the Hong Kong Snooker Open Championship.
There are 49 billiards establishments across the city licensed under the Places of Amusement Regulation under the Leisure and Cultural Services Department. Even the government said in submissions to the Legislative Council that “operation of these premises has been hard hit by the tightened social-distancing measures. Without immediate and effective measures, a lot of operators would be driven out of business, and their staff would be laid off”.
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Two-time Asian Games gold medal winner Chan Kwok-ming said most of the clubs were paying more than HK$200,000 rent a month and the sector was struggling for survival.
“The government never considers the nature of our sport but just closes all our businesses when the pandemic hits Hong Kong,” said Chan, who gave up his snooker club business a couple of years ago because of the high rent and now works as a coach and consultant.
“The government should interfere with rents, requesting the landlord to lower the rent or postpone payments during difficult times to alleviate our burden. Otherwise, many of the clubs will be closed forever very soon.”
Coaches registered under national sports associations or recognised sports organisations will also benefit from the latest round of relief measures, receiving HK$7,500 each after obtaining a total HK$12,500 from the previous two rounds. The government expects 10,000 coaches to be eligible for support.
