Hundreds of spectators were cleared from the state-of-the-art arena during world champion Kyren Wilson’s 4-3 victory over Matt Selt due to the venue’s curfew rules.
The opening day of the blockbuster World Grand Prix descended into chaos because of a midnight curfew at the brand new Kai Tak Arena.
Fans in the city have had to wait since 1989 for a ranking event to return to the region. But hundreds of spectators were cleared from the state-of-the-art arena during world champion Kyren Wilson’s 4-3 victory over Matt Selt due to the venue’s curfew rules.
Snooker bosses, who were faced with a logistical nightmare with approximately 5,000 fans expected towards the final weekend, came to an agreement with venue chiefs which will allow spectators to stay until the conclusion of play for the rest of the tournament.
Wilson’s management team posted on X: ‘Literally, fans HAVE to leave, due to policies. You can’t make it up!’
A WST spokesperson said: “Some fans were unable to watch the conclusion of the final match on Table One.
“The Tournament Organising Committee has since communicated with Kai Tak Sports Park and the relevant departments. We are pleased to confirm that spectators will be permitted to remain in the venue for the conclusion of all evening sessions for the rest of the tournament.
“We apologise for the inconvenience caused. Spectators who had tickets for this game will be able to exchange these for seats of the same value on Wednesday March 5th or 6th.”
The 15-minute interruption came during the sixth frame with Selt 3-2 up. But world No.2 Wilson recovered after the resumption as breaks of 111 and 87 booked his place in the last 16.
He will face newly-crowned World Open champion John Higgins, after the Scot beat Ali Carter 4-3 despite a top break of just 39.
Meanwhile, two-time winner Judd Trump kicked off his title bid in style as he crushed Gary Wilson’s Crucible dream.
Only the elite top 16 qualify by rights for the World Championship with the rest having to go to qualifiers. World No.15 Wilson is now set to drop out after his 4-2 defeat to top seed Trump, who hit top breaks of 142 and 95.