LONDON: The 2020 edition of the Wimbledon had to be cancelled due to the outbreak of the coronavirus, but The All England Club which runs the championship, is reportedly set to pocket $141 million due to a virus-related clause that was inserted in the insurance policy post the SARS outbreak.
Wimbledon organisers had been paying $2 million per year for the last 17-odd years for pandemic insurance in case of an emergency, like the current coronavirus crisis, and now with cancellation of the 2020 Championship, organisers of the tennis event stand to reap the benefits of their foresight from the compensation they are entitled to.
The Action Network’s sports business analyst Darren Rovell posted on his witter handle: “Wimbledon reportedly paid $2 million a year for pandemic insurance for the last 17 years
“(Total: $34 Million)
“For this year’s cancellation as a result of the Coronavirus, Wimbledon will reportedly receive $141 million from the policy.”
According to British daily The Times, Wimbledon chiefs are to see their insurance triggered by the cancellation with the clause that covers infectious diseases set to be worth as much as £100 million. The club is said to be in the process of putting together a claim on those lines.
The All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) while announcing the cancellation said that the Wimbledon will now be held from June 28 to July 11, 2021. It marks the first time since 1945 – during the Second World War – that the Championships will not take place in a tennis season and the first time it has been cancelled in the Open era.
“It is with great regret that the Main Board of the All England Club (AELTC) and the Committee of Management of The Championships have today decided that The Championships 2020 will be cancelled due to public health concerns linked to the coronavirus epidemic. The 134th Championships will instead be staged from 28 June to 11 July 2021,” the AELTC had said in its statement.
It also said that it has taken into account the impact of the cancellation on “those who rely on The Championships – including the players and the tennis community in Britain and around the world” and are developing plans to support those groups. “This also applies to our loyal staff, to whom we take our responsibility very seriously,” said the AELTC.
