Wimbledon displays its Olympic bid credentials

Wimbledon fortnight, one of the traditional sporting highlights of the London summer season along with Royal Ascot and Henley Royal rowing regatta, retains the garden party atmosphere of a bygone era alongside slick 21st century professionalism.

Inaugurated in 1877 and still organised by the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, Wimbledon has evolved into the world's premier tennis tournament, attracting over half a million spectators and a following of millions more fans around the world via television, radio, the press and the Internet.

Behind the quaint traditions, Wimbledon ensures that it remains at the cutting edge of sporting technology and in recent years has unveiled new state-of-the-art facilities for players, officials and media as well as a new No. 1 Court.

The All England Club also plans to build a transparent retractable roof as part of a multi-million pound redevelopment of Centre Court, where spectator capacity will rise to 15,000. Work is expected to begin in 2006, with the roof in place by 2009. A Wimbledon museum is also under construction.

A team of 6,000 staff and volunteers run the tournament in which players from over 60 countries contest the various "gentlemen's" and "ladies' " events within Wimbledon's ivy-clad walls, with the men's singles winner receiving £602,500 and the women's champion receiving £560,000.

Few other events reveal the sporting passions of the British more vividly than Wimbledon where fans regularly queue throughout the night to maintain their decade-long love affair with Tim Henman, Britain's best hope for a singles title.

Based on last year's figures, throughout the fortnight spectators are expected to consume 34,000 kg of strawberries, 7,000 litres of cream, 190,000 sandwiches, 60,000 pints of Pimms, 14,000 bottles of champagne and 305,000 cups of tea and coffee.

21 June 2004