With around 192 male and 40 female athletes coming to St. Johann, the excitement is high in the city and at the venue. After a break of over 16 months, the athletes are fired up for the competition to start again in Europe. This is the longest break from competition in the history of the sport. It will be interesting to see who has used this “time out” to hone their skills when they start their matches tomorrow morning at 09:00 local time.
The event will have a few special features. Due to official regulations, certain safety standards must be met. A cordoned-off area has been set up where athletes must be before their matches begin. Regular testing must be carried out according to local laws for athletes who are not yet fully vaccinated. The timetable has also been increased to 2 hours per match to allow for the appropriate security measures to be carried out between matches. The hygiene concept has been thoroughly thought through and adapted to ensure that the event can be held as safe as possible for all participants.
As in previous times, more than 30 nations are once again represented at the competition. The battle for prize money and ranking points will be fought at the highest level. 20 tables are set up and can all be viewed via live stream at kozoom.com
The athlete’s waiting area inside the venue
歐巡賽闊別16個月後回歸
自疫情全球爆發後，歐巡賽也在闊別16個月後再次回歸。約220位球員 (180位男子與40位女子球員) 將齊聚位於奧地利薩爾斯堡邦的一座城鎮，蓬高地區聖約翰 (St. Johann im Pongau)。球員們對賽事重啟滿懷熱情，然而在經過了這段”長”時間的休息，球員們的自身調整及是否利用這意外的”時間”加以磨練增進球技，當地時間17日上午9點開賽後也將見真章。
作為賽事重啟的首站，此次也因應疫情因素而有了些新的變化。由於官方規定之下，有些安全標準必須達成，因此特別設立一個封鎖區域，球員們比賽開始前必須在區域內。而根據當地法令對尚未完成疫苗接種的球員進行定期檢測，因此每輪比賽間隔也拉長至2小時，以利於比賽間採取適當地安全防護措施。防護概念已經過深思熟慮與調整，以確保所有參賽者在安全的情況下比賽。比賽共設置20張球桌，所有比賽透過 kozoom.com 進行視頻直播。
CN/Alison