The idea was that the season closure would have taken place in Hong Kong on October 17-20, but instead the final closing will be held the weekend before, October 10-13, at the Macau Championship as security in Hong Kong cannot be guaranteed due to the demonstrations in progress in the city.
- The safety of our players, staff, fans, volunteers and everyone else associated with the tournament is always the primary concern. We have analyzed the situation from all angles and as a group we have decided to cancel the tournament is the best decision, says Greg Carlson, chairman of the tournament in Hong Kong.
As a patch on the wounds, the organizer has chosen to raise the prize pool from SEK 2.1 million to 2.8.
The democracy movement's protests and demonstrations, which have also occasionally become violent, have been going on in Hong Kong for over four months. The protests began this spring to stop a bill to allow extradition of suspected criminals to Mainland China.
It has already become clear that the WTA tournament, which would have been played in Hong Kong October 5-13, has also been canceled.