After the 2020 Wimbledon Tournament was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all tennis fans were enthusiastically looking forward to the 2021 Wimbledon Tournament that is scheduled to start from June 28 this year at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in London. It will be a 13-day long event. Wimbledon is the oldest and the most distinguished tennis tournament in the world.
In April 2020, the cancellation of The Championships 2020 was announced due to public health concerns engendered by the COVID-19 pandemic. It was the first time Wimbledon was cancelled after its cancellation in 1945 due to World War II. Wimbledon is a massive event. Every year, people from all around the world come to watch this tennis tournament and to public health authorities and the UK Government, the health of those people is of utmost importance.
Although the COVID-19 situation now seems to be very much in control in London, the number of cases are escalating everyday. The organizers of Wimbledon are taking all precautions to ensure that the tournament does not pose any threat to the health of people partaking in Wimbledon 2021. People will be visiting from all over the world. There will be players, local residents, visitors, staff members, volunteers, contractors and their health and safety comes first for Wimbledon organizers.
The Wimbledon organizers have to follow the COVID-19 restrictions issued by the British government. Therefore, it’s expected that there will be a significant decrease in the number of spectators this year. However, no decisions have been taken regarding the public capacity by The All England Club as of yet. They do want a maximum number of spectators involved and are looking forward to welcoming them according to a statement issued by The All England Club later this March.
The COVID-19 circumstances are continuously changing in England and right now, it’s too soon to decide how many people should be allowed to attend the tournament. The British government has a plan to lift lockdown in different parts of the country as COVID-19 situation evolves. Therefore, organizers are keeping their flexibility on a number of fronts. However, some decisions have been made. The All England Club announced that all tennis officials and all players along with their support teams will stay in an official tournament hotel instead of private residences. Furthermore, tickets will be sold through online platforms and there will be no official ballot tickets for Wimbledon 2021. There will be no ticket resale option either in order to maintain social distancing.
These precautionary steps are specifically taken to address the concerns that come forward with such large gatherings. The Club is responsibly executing their duty to protect the large number of people who partake in this massive event. Ian Hewitt, the chairman of All England Club said in mid-March “Although we are approaching the return to normal life, we are not there yet.” Though a lot of things about Wimbledon 2021 are not certain right now, it’s safe to say that Wimbledon 2021 will not be like previous Wimbledon tournaments.
