Wimbledon Cancelled Due to Coronavirus
The Main Board of the All England Club held an emergency meeting on Wednesday to announce that they have canceled the 2020 Wimbledon due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The tournament was meant to take place between June 29 and July 12. This marks the first time that the tournament has been canceled since it was canceled in 1945 amidst World War II.
In a statement on their website, Wimbledon wrote, “It is with great regret that the Main Board of the All England Club and the Committee of Management of The Championships have today decided that The Championships 2020 will be canceled due to public health concerns linked to the coronavirus epidemic. 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.”
The All England Club looked to possibly suspend the Grand Slam tournament until later in the summer but decided against it as to further prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Wimbledon also stated, “With the likelihood that the Government’s measures will continue for many months, it is our view that we must act responsibly to protect the large numbers of people required to prepare The Championships from being at risk – from the training of ball boys and girls to thousands of officials, line judges, stewards, players, suppliers, media and contractors who convene on the AELTC Grounds – and equally to consider that the people, supplies and services legally required to stage The Championships would not be available at any point this summer, thus ruling out postponement.”
Wimbledon is not the only Grand Slam event that has been affected by the coronavirus pandemic. The French Open (Roland Garros) has been pushed from this May to early September.
Though this year’s tournaments at Wimbledon are canceled, Next year’s tournaments at Wimbledon will be held from June 28 to July 11, 2021.
