Watch: Protestors delay World Snooker Championship by covering table with orange powder
- Scott Allen
- 17 April 2023
A protestor has brought the World Snooker Championships to a shuddering halt after covering a table in orange powder.
Play has been suspended at the Snooker World Championship after a protestor jumped on one of the tables and opened a bag of orange powder over the green baize.
Two people, with 'JUST STOP OIL' written on their t-shirts, had managed to disrupt proceedings at the Crucible in Sheffield, while Mark Allen faced Fan Zhengyi, and Robert Milkins took on Joe Perry.
One male climbed on the table and emptied a bag of orange powder, while a female protestor was stopped by the referee Olivier Marteel. before she could create more mayhem.
Play was immediately suspended as cleaners brought vacuum cleaners into the arena and master of ceremonies Rob Walker was among those helping to sweep up the mess.
Former world champion Stephen Hendry, on commentary duties for the BBC, said: "I have never seen that before at a snooker event. It's a first.
"It is scary. Wow! You just hope the cloth can be recovered from that. It caught us all by surprise and then this happens.
"For me, straight away as a snooker player I am thinking: 'Is the table recoverable?' We don't know what that is on the table."
Play has been suspended at the Crucible after a protester jumped on the table and covered it in orange powder.@WeAreWST | #WorldSnookerChampionship pic.twitter.com/epqAOsDGD1
— Eurosport (@eurosport) April 17, 2023
Just Stop Oil issued a statement which read: "At around 7:20pm, two Just Stop Oil supporters have disrupted the World Snooker Championship at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, interrupting play.
"The pair proceeded to cover the tables in orange powder paint before being removed by security and arrested.
"They are demanding that the Government immediately stop all new UK fossil fuel projects and are calling on UK sporting institutions to step into civil resistance against the Government's genocidal policies."
World Snooker Tour officials confirmed that the match between Allen and Zhengyi was set to resume after a delay of approximately 45 minutes.
The affected table was covered and will be re-clothed overnight, with a decision to be made later on whether the match between Milkins and Perry will resume following the conclusion of Allen-Zhengyi.
