First time since World War II: Wimbledon 2020 cancelled due to coronavirus pandemic
By Team Newsable | First Published Apr 2, 2020, 10:23 AM ISTFor the first time in 75 years, Wimbledon tennis tournament will not be held this year (2020) due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic
London: The Wimbledon 2020 tennis championship has been cancelled due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the organisers All England Club has announced with “great regret”. This is for the first time since 1945, The Championships will not be held. Back then, the event was not hosted for six years due to World War II.
“It is with great regret that the Main Board of the All England Club (AELTC) and the Committee of Management of The Championships have today decided that The Championships 2020 will be cancelled due to public health concerns linked to the coronavirus epidemic. The 134th Championships will instead be staged from 28 June to 11 July 2021,” the organisers said on Wednesday (April 1).
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They added, “Uppermost in our mind has been the health and safety of all of those who come together to make Wimbledon happen – the public in the UK and visitors from around the world, our players, guests, members, staff, volunteers, partners, contractors, and local residents – as well as our broader responsibility to society’s efforts to tackle this global challenge to our way of life.”
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The All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club (AELTC) said, “Following a series of detailed deliberations on all of the above, it is the Committee of Management’s view that cancellation of The Championships is the best decision in the interests of public health, and that being able to provide certainty by taking this decision now, rather than in several weeks, is important for everyone involved in tennis and The Championships.”
Those who have already bought tickets will get a refund. “Members of the public who paid for tickets in the Wimbledon Public Ballot for this year’s Championships will have their tickets refunded and will be offered the chance to purchase tickets for the same day and court for The Championships 2021. We will be communicating directly with all ticket-holders.”
Ian Hewitt, AELTC chairman, said, “This is a decision that we have not taken lightly, and we have done so with the highest regard for public health and the wellbeing of all those who come together to make Wimbledon happen. It has weighed heavily on our minds that the staging of The Championships has only been interrupted previously by World Wars but, following thorough and extensive consideration of all scenarios, we believe that it is a measure of this global crisis that it is ultimately the right decision to cancel this year’s Championships, and instead concentrate on how we can use the breadth of Wimbledon’s resources to help those in our local communities and beyond. Our thoughts are with all those who have been and continue to be affected by these unprecedented times.”
Richard Lewis, AELTC chief executive, commented, “While in some ways this has been a challenging decision, we strongly believe it is not only in the best interests of society at this time, but also provides certainty to our colleagues in international tennis given the impact on the grass court events in the UK and in Europe and the broader tennis calendar.”
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