June 14, (THEWILL)- The next All England Grand Slam in Wimbledon is set to be played in front of a full capacity in July at the male and female events. This comes despite the announcement by the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Boris Johnson, of a four-week delay to restrictions being eased in England.
On Monday, Johnson announced a postponement of step four of the government’s roadmap due to a recent rise in coronavirus cases. The postponing will affect what has been termed “Freedom Day” in England, pencilled in for June 21.
That date now shifts to July 19, by which time Wimbledon will already have been concluded, with the finals scheduled for the July 10-11 weekend. However, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport confirmed both male and female finals will operate at full crowd capacity despite the postponement.
The finals will become part of the government’s pilot programme to welcome fans back to stadia across the country after commencing, from June 28, with only a capacity of half the stands.
Oliver Dowden, the UK government’s Culture Secretary explained the reason for the scheduling: “We want to gather further evidence on how we can open up all big events safely, and for good.
“The expansion of trials of the NHS App and Lateral Flow Testing will mean that bigger crowds will be able to attend a limited number of major sporting and cultural events early this summer as part of our Events Research Programme.
“In the next few weeks this means more fans enjoying the Euros and Wimbledon, and some of our biggest cultural and sports events.”
THEWILL recalls that the All England Club competition was cancelled last year due to the pandemic, and organisers are expected to announce further details on Wednesday for 2021. Apart from tennis, Formula One’s British GP at Silverstone on July 18 could also welcome a full crowd as another test event of the government’s plans.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
