Wimbledon canceled due to coronavirus pandemic

The 2020 Wimbledon tennis tournament was canceled on Wednesday due to the coronavirus pandemic, becoming the latest major sporting event to be affected by the disease’s global outbreak.  

The Main Board of the All England Club (AELTC), the organizer of the annual event in the United Kingdom, said in a statement that the tournament, originally scheduled to begin June 28, would be canceled due to “public health concerns” stemming from the virus. 

The storied Grand Slam tennis tournament will not be held for the first time since World War II. AELTC said that individuals who had already purchased tickets for the event would receive a refund or the option to transfer their ticket purchases to next year’s event. 

The organization also said that it was working to support groups, including its staff, that rely on the tournament. 

Uppermost in our mind has been the health & safety of all of those who make Wimbledon happen – the public, players, guests, members, staff, volunteers, partners, contractors, and local residents – as well as our responsibility to society’s efforts to tackle this global challenge.

— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) April 1, 2020

“We believe, given the measure of this global crisis, that it is ultimately the right decision to cancel The Championships 2020 and instead concentrate on how we can use the breadth of our resources to help those in our local communities and beyond,” Ian Hewitt, AELTC chairman, said. 

The novel coronavirus, which first appeared in China in December, has infected more than 885,600 people worldwide, including more than 28,800 individuals in the U.K., according to a Johns Hopkins University database. 

The outbreak led British Prime Minister Boris Johnson to issue a nationwide stay-at-home order last month. The policy only allows people to leave their homes for “limited purposes,” which include shopping for basic necessities and exercise. Johnson said that police would break up any mass gatherings taking place. 

“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,” the AELTC said, noting that people, supplies and services required to put on the tournament would not be available later in the year, ruling out a postponement. 

Wimbledon’s decision comes just a week after the International Olympic Committee announced that the Tokyo Olympics would be postponed to July 2021. The games were originally scheduled to begin July 24.