Coronavirus and sports: Wimbledon canceled, can the Tour de France be far behind?
The cancelation of the grand lawn tennis championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in the village of Wimbledon is the latest blow to the summer sports calendar because of the global coronavirus pandemic.
Officials at the All England Club announced Wednesday that the 2020 Wimbledon Championships will not be held for the first time since World War II in 1945.
In a stark reminder of the severity of the COVID-19 outbreak, Wimbledon will not be played during peacetime for the first time since it began in 1877. The crown jewel of tennis’ four Grand Slam tournaments had been scheduled from June 29 to July 12.
The move leaves the Tour de France, the world’s most prestigious bike race, as one of the few major sporting events still on for the summer. Organizers of the three-week race that is scheduled to begin June 27 in Nice have said little about their plans in the wake of the deadly virus that has seen almost 900,000 confirmed cases worldwide with 44,000 fatalities.
Also Wednesday, tennis’ governing bodies, the Association of Tennis Professionals and the Women’s Tennis Association, said in a joint announcement that all events at all levels of both professional tours have been canceled through July 13.
The announcements follow the postponement of the 2020 Tokyo Games that International Olympic Committee officials last week agreed to move to the summer of 2021.
The All England Club considered postponing its tournament but concluded it was best to simply cancel it.
“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,” a statement read on the club website.
Wimbledon was not held from 1915-1918 because of World War I and again from 1940-1945 because of the second World War.
Wimbledon officials considered moving the tournament to later in the summer like the French Open, which was scheduled to be held May 24- June 7. French officials have moved their tournament at Roland Garros to Sept. 20- Oct. 4.
Meanwhile, the United States Tennis Association said Wednesday in a statement that the U.S. Open remains on track to begin Aug. 24 in Flushing Meadows, New York.
First, however, the sports facility will be used as an overflow hospital to help with the increasing problems in New York City as the health crisis increases, U.S. Tennis Association officials said.
“The USTA is carefully monitoring the rapidly-changing environment surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, and is preparing for all contingencies,” the organization said in a statement.