KUALA LUMPUR: The worsening haze has forced the postponement of next week's 100PLUS National Junior Development Programme (NJDP) Junior Series Grand Final due to health concerns for young golfers.
The four-day tournament, scheduled for Oct 27-30 at Seri Selangor Golf Club, has been put on hold as unhealthy air continues to blanket the Klang Valley, with no new dates announced.
Air quality has shown little sign of sustained improvement.
As of 2pm on Tuesday, Petaling Jaya, Shah Alam and Johan Setia in Selangor recorded unhealthy Air Pollutant Index (API) readings of 170.
Earlier at 9am, 30 locations nationwide registered unhealthy air quality, up from 27 on Monday, with Johan Setia and Batu Muda in Kuala Lumpur recording the highest readings of 172.
API readings between 101 and 200 are classified as unhealthy.
Malaysian Golf Association (MGA) president Mohd Anwar Mohd Nor said the decision was made after monitoring the situation.
"This has not been an easy decision. We have been closely monitoring the haze situation and evaluating the potential risks," he said in a statement today.
"While competitive opportunities are important to the development of our young golfers, their health and well-being must always come first."
The postponement follows the earlier deferment of the SLB-SportExcel International Junior Golf Championship, originally set for Oct 6-8.
That tournament has been rescheduled for Jan 26-28 next year at Saujana Golf and Country Club.
The haze has also forced the postponement of National Sports Day celebrations on Oct 10.
MGA stressed that the NJDP Grand Final is postponed rather than cancelled, with new dates to be announced once air quality improves and venue arrangements are finalised.
© New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd