London (AFP)
The organizers of the Wimbledon tennis tournament, canceled this year due to Covid-19, assured Friday that their priority was the holding of the tournament in 2021 and that all scenarios were considered, even a competition behind closed doors.
In early April, the 2020 tournament was canceled for the first time since World War II due to the pandemic linked to the new coronavirus when all of Europe was confined and the outlook was very uncertain.
“Hosting the tournament in 2021 is our number one priority and we are looking very carefully at all possible scenarios to keep it going,” said Sally Bolton, president of the All English Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC), which hosts the competition.
Well insured and faced with the difficulties of organizing the tournament in the fall for weather reasons, the AELTC preferred to reimburse the tickets sold and wait.
The 134th edition of Wimbledon is scheduled from June 28 to July 11.
The scenarios studied by the organizers "cover three possibilities of varying dimensions: a tournament with full stands, a tournament with reduced capacity and a closed-door tournament," the statement summarized.
All these assumptions are based "on what will be the government directives and health authorities," said the organizers.
"We are working closely with the authorities concerned, as well as with the rest of the sports industry, to understand the changing challenges and the opportunities afforded by the pandemic", they concluded.
© 2020 AFP