The AELTC has announced updated details for The Championships 2021, including ticketing capacities, COVID-status certification, other health and safety requirements, and prize money for competitors.
Participation in the Government Events Research Program
Further to discussions with government and public health bodies, The Championships 2021 has been approved to take place as a pilot event in the third phase of the Government Events Research Program.
This enables them to fulfill their aspiration of staging the best Championships possible within the current circumstances, with the health and safety of all those who make Wimbledon happen – their guests, competitors, members, staff, officials, residents, and partners – remaining their highest priority.
AELTC Chairman Ian Hewitt commented: “It is with great enthusiasm and excitement that we are putting the finishing touches to our preparation for The Championships this year, and the return of the world’s best players to our grass courts, with ticket-holders in the stands. We very much look forward to staging an event that is a success for all, inspires players and fans alike, and creates a spotlight for tennis, and sport, in the UK and around the world.”
Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden added: “We are the first country in the world to be able to return a Grand Slam tournament to full capacity for the men’s and women’s final since the pandemic broke.
“We are able to do so because of the success of the vaccine rollout and building on what we have learnt so far from the Events Research Program. “
“We will be trialling COVID-status certification at The Championships in order to get as many people back as safely as possible across all the sporting and cultural events that make the Great British summer so special.”
The sale of tickets for the public are now live at wimbledon.com/2021tickets
As a result, ticketholders for The Championships will be required to follow strict entry requirements and provide consent to participate in the ERP’s science-led program.
All ticketholders attending The Championships will be required to show proof of COVID status upon entry, either in the form of both vaccinations (the first and the second dose), and with the second dose 14 days ago; or a negative lateral flow test (for those aged 11 and over).
As agreed with the Government, The Championships 2021 will begin on Monday 28 June with 50 per cent capacity across the grounds. Stadium capacities for Centre Court and No. 1 Court will open at 50 percent capacity, while the smaller Show Courts will be permitted to open at 75 percent capacity from Monday 28 June.
For the Fourth Round and Quarter-Finals, they aim to increase Centre and No. 1 Courts allocations, along with a number of grounds passes, and for the semi-finals and finals, they aim to have 100 percent capacity on Centre Court, with a small number of tickets on No. 1 Court and grounds passes.
Ticket-holders travelling to the event are advised to follow the Department for Transport’s Safer Travel guidance here.
Prize Money for The Championships
The AELTC is pleased to announce the total prize money fund for The Championships 2021 will be £35,016,000, with the Ladies’ and Gentlemen’s singles champions each receiving £1,700,000.
When setting prize money levels for this year, the AELTC considered several factors, including constraints on crowd capacity; the substantial investment required to provide quality accommodation with a full range of services in order to create a minimized risk environment as well as a comprehensive testing program for players and their support teams; and significant financial support for the wider grass- court season, both in the UK and Europe.
The total prize money fund of £35,016,000 represents a 5.2 per cent decrease ion 2019 (£36,919,000) and despite the challenges outlined above, demonstrates the key strategic importance for The Championships to continue to invest in the players. These figures are prize money only and do not take into account the cost of player accommodation that the AELTC will cover in 2021, which will cost several million pounds, in lieu of the £1,081,000 of per diem payments made directly to players in 2019.
As in previous years, and particularly in this challenging year for tour players, the focus of distribution has been on supporting players in the early rounds of the tournament, for example in the qualifying competition (a 17.5 per cent increase overall) and main draw singles players in the opening rounds (including a 6.7 per cent increase in first- round prize money to £48,000). Only four players in each singles draw will receive prize money at a lower level than was awarded in 2019. The wheelchair and quad wheelchair events will also receive a 17 per cent increase in prize money this year.
For a full breakdown of prize money at The Championships 2021, please please click here.
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