Protests at sporting events have made considerable headlines in recent days, the latest of which came at the Crucible in Sheffield last night, when anti-fossil fuel protesters interrupted the World Snooker Championships.
Action was suspended after a member of the 'Just Stop Oil' protest group threw orange dye on one of the tables in play, while a second protester was prevented from attaching herself to another table.
The protest was entirely peaceful, but that only became fully clear once the protest had been made.
The Ulster man admitted afterwards that he had been too engrossed in his match to fully take in what was happening, but he did express the obvious concern that it could have been worse.
"I was completely oblivious to what was going on," Mr Allen told Eurosport.
"But I'd say if you'd 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 weapons, they could have anything really."
It was the second time in three days that a major British sporting event had been disrupted. Racing at Aintree on Saturday was also held up, when animal rights protesters tried to scale the perimeter fence at the Grand National.
Ahead of another massive summer of sport then, could we be set for a season of sporting disruptions?
Rob Hartnett, CEO of Sport For Business, feels big sporting event sports can, in ways, lend themselves to becoming targets for these types of demonstrations.
"The beauty of sport is that we know that it's live," Mr Hartnett said.
"We know where it is, when it is on and that it's going to be watched by a significant audience. So those are the recipes for protests," he added.
"What we have seen over the last couple of days is a certain increase in that, but whether it leads onto something more, where protest organisations are going after the things that we love, on the screens that we watch them on, is still open to some question."
The action in both Sheffield and at Aintree did eventually resume, albeit after delays, but the question remains; are these types of protests valid methods of creating awareness or anti-social behaviour?
Mr Hartnett believes international protest these days has almost become a big business in itself, but those involved are acutely aware of getting the balance just right.
"People watch sport in their millions and that's one of the reasons why protesters want to get in front of it," he said.
"If you're involved in protest though, and go after the things that people love, that's not really going to make those people any better disposed towards you."
"There's a tipping point between causing upset to people and causing awareness," Mr Hartnett added.
"Thankfully, and hopefully, we tend to be on the right side of that."
