Could we be set for a season of sporting disruptions?

Protests at sporting events have made significant headlines in recent days, most recently at the Crucible in Sheffield last night when anti-fossil fuel protesters disrupted the World Snooker Championships.

The action was suspended after a member of the Just Stop Oil protest group threw orange paint at one of the tables in the game, while a second protester was prevented from attaching herself to another table.

All four players active at the time, including Mark Allen from Northern Ireland, were escorted out of the arena.

The protest was completely peaceful, but that only became clear after the protest.

The Ulster man later admitted he had been too engrossed in his match to fully grasp what was happening, but expressed apparent concern it could have been worse.

“I had absolutely no idea what was going on,” Mr Allen told Eurosport.

“But I’d say if you’ve seen it unfold like other people would have, I’d say it was daunting at times because you don’t know what’s happening.

“They could have guns, they really could have anything.”

It was the second time in three days that a major British sporting event had been disrupted. Racing at Aintree on Saturday was also suspended when animal rights activists attempted to scale the Grand National’s perimeter fence.

So could we brace for a season of sporting disruption ahead of another big summer of sport?

Rob Hartnett, CEO of Sport For Business, believes that sporting events at major sporting events lend themselves somewhat to becoming targets for these types of demonstrations.

“The beauty of sport is we know it’s live,” Hartnett said.

“We know where it is, when it’s on and that it’s being seen by a meaningful audience. So those are the recipes for protests,” he added.

“What we’ve seen in the last few days is some increase, but whether it will lead to something more where protest organizations are looking for the things we love on the screens we see them on is still open to any question .”

Action at both Sheffield and Aintreee eventually resumed, albeit with delays, but the question remains; Are these types of protests valid methods of raising awareness or anti-social behavior?

Mr. Hartnett believes that international protests have become almost big business in their own right these days, but those involved are keen to strike the right balance.

“People watch sport by the millions and that’s one of the reasons protesters want to stand in front of it,” he said.

“However, if you get involved in protests and do the things that people love, it’s not really going to make those people feel better about you.”

“There’s a tipping point between upsetting people and raising awareness,” Hartnett added.

“Fortunately and hopefully we tend to be on the right side.”