Wimbledon Tennis Tournament Canceled Due to COVID-19... "First Time Since World War II"

[Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] The Wimbledon tennis tournament, originally scheduled to open at the end of June, has been ultimately canceled due to the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19). This is the first time Wimbledon has been canceled since World War II.

According to the Associated Press and others on the 1st (local time), the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC), which hosts the Wimbledon tournament, held an emergency board meeting that day and announced that this year's Wimbledon tournament will not be held. The organizers stated, "After thoroughly and intensively considering all scenarios, we have determined that canceling this year's championship is the right decision," adding, "Instead, we will focus on how to use Wimbledon's resources to help both inside and outside the community."

The Wimbledon tournament was originally scheduled to be held from June 29 to July 12 at the All England Lawn Tennis Club in Wimbledon, London. With this year's event canceled, the next tournament will be held from June 28 to July 11 next year.

This is the first time the Wimbledon tennis tournament has been postponed since World War II. Established in 1877, the Wimbledon tennis tournament was not held during two periods due to the impacts of World War I and World War II: from 1915 to 1918 and from 1940 to 1945.

The organizers had delayed the cancellation decision despite other sports events being suspended or postponed and the Tokyo Olympics being postponed. Since Wimbledon is the only major tournament played on grass courts and is difficult to hold outside the summer season, postponement was realistically impossible. However, with COVID-19 spreading uncontrollably, proceeding with the event became practically impossible, leading to the cancellation of this year's tournament.

Among the four major tournaments, the Australian Open was completed normally in January, but the French Open has already postponed its schedule from May to September. Due to the ongoing spread of COVID-19, there remains a possibility that the US Open and French Open, scheduled for August to September, may also be canceled.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.