Wimbledon organizers will donate 1 British pound (about $1.25) for each ticket sold during this summer’s Grand Slam tennis tournament to relief efforts in Ukraine.
The initiative could lead to upwards of $620,000 being donated, according to the Associated Press. Wimbledon’s organizer, The All England Club, will also pay for two rooms to house Ukrainian players and their teams during the tournament, which will run July 3-16 in London.
Last year’s tournament was Wimbledon’s first 14-day event as opposed to its traditional 13-day tournament and resulted in a record-setting attendance of 515,164 fans. However, ticket sales fell short of the organizer’s goals, and prices will be increased for this year’s tournament as tickets for men’s and women’s singles finals went up $17 to $316, reports The Ticketing Business.
Tennis players from Russia and Belarus are allowed to participate in this year’s Wimbledon tournament after organizers banned them from competing last year amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. However, this year’s tournament will not be broadcasted in Russia or Belarus, and flags of support for those countries or the war will be banned from Wimbledon’s grounds.
Last year, Wimbledon donated 250,000 pounds ($307,100) to Ukraine relief efforts.
