DURBAN – Due to the Covid-19, many live events which include sporting events had to be cancelled. The Wimbledon Championships is one of the sporting events to be cancelled. It is the first time since World War II that the Wimbledon Championships have been cancelled. The Championships were scheduled from June 29 to July 12.
In a statement, the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) said: "We are now in a position to allocate prize money to the 620 players whose world ranking would have enabled them to gain entry into The Championships 2020 by direct acceptance into the main draw or qualifying event.
From an agreed total of £10 million ($12.60 million), the AELTC will distribute prize money in lieu of The Championships 2020 with regard for the circumstances of this year and in the spirit of the AELTC's prize money distribution in recent years."
• The 224 single players set to compete in the qualifying rounds will receive £12,500, each.
• The 256 players in the main draw will receive £25,000 each.
• The 120 double players in the main draw will receive £6,250, each.
• The 16 players that were set to compete in the wheelchair events will receive £6,000, each.
In an official statement, AELTC chief executive Richard Lewis said: “Immediately following the cancellation of The Championships, we turned our attention to how we could assist those who help make Wimbledon happen. We know these months of uncertainty have been very worrying for these groups, including the players, many of whom have faced financial difficulty during this period and who would have quite rightly anticipated the opportunity to earn prize money at Wimbledon based on their world ranking,”
We are pleased that our insurance policy has allowed us to recognise the impact of the cancellation on the players and that we are now in a position to offer this payment as a reward for the hard work they have invested.”
For LIVE updates on the Coronavirus pandemic, follow us on Twitter : @sacoronamonitor