AFTER hoping for better tidings in the new year with some optimism, it now appears that squash is set for another frustrating period.
With the implementation of the Movement Control Order (MCO) and the State of Emergency, the Squash Racquets Association of Malaysia (SRAM) have to call off all their events planned for the first half of the year.
This means that the three Professional Squash Association (PSA) Tour events planned for February and March will be postponed indefinitely.
And the bigger blow to SRAM is that their plans to host the World Junior Championships and Women's World Team Championships in March have been squashed.
And with the MCO in effect for two weeks in six states (Federal Territories, Selangor, Melaka, Penang, Johor and Sabah), training sessions at the National Squash Centre, Bukit Jalil have to be cancelled with the players sent home.
It is a big disappointment for the national players after all their hard work in training with hopes of finally playing in a competition.
"With the MCO now in effect, we have to postpone all our events and we've written to the respective authorities to explain why," said SRAM director Major (rtd) S. Maniam.
"The world juniors and women's world teams are cancelled for good and we will have to look to reschedule the PSA events for a much later date.
"We have also broken the national training camp and all the players have returned home.
"It's just like March last year during the first MCO and it will be back to online training sessions. The National Sports Council allow only sports that are in the Road to Tokyo programme to continue. Unfortunately, squash is not an Olympic sport.
The earliest that any sort of tournament could be held would only be in May with the National Junior Championships.