- 23 Feb 2007, 01:04
#733821
February 22, 2007
Wimbledon Announces Equal Prize Money
LONDON, England - On Thursday morning, the All-England Club announced that for the first time in its 130-year history, it will be awarding equal prize money to the men and women beginning at the 2007 Wimbledon Championships.
“This is an historic and defining moment for women in the sport of tennis and a significant step forward for the equality of women in our society," said Larry Scott, chairman and CEO of the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour. "We commend the leadership of Wimbledon for its decisive action in recognizing the progress that women’s tennis has made.”
The announcement comes after strong lobbying efforts made by the Tour, its players and its founding members, such as Billie Jean King.
Of the decision, Tim Phillips, Chairman of the All England Club, said, “Tennis is one of the few sports in which women and men compete in the same event at the same time. We believe our decision to offer equal prize money provides a boost for the game as a whole and recognises the enormous contribution that women players make to the game and to Wimbledon. We hope it will also encourage girls who want a career in sport to choose tennis as their best option. In short, good for tennis, good for women players and good for Wimbledon.”
Phillips continued: “When Wimbledon pioneered Open Tennis in 1968, the Men’s Singles Champion, Rod Laver, won £2,000, while Billie Jean King, the Ladies’ Singles Champion, won £750, only 37.5% of the men’s prize. "
“This news has been a long time coming and I am thrilled Wimbledon has joined the club of Grand Slam events offering equal prize money for men and women," said King. "Wimbledon is one of the most respected events in all of sports and now with women and men paid on an equal scale, it demonstrates to the rest of the world that this is the right thing to do for the sport, the tournament and the world.”
“As in every other year, the Committee has again analysed all the relevant information and then made a judgement. This year, taking into account both the overall progression and the fact that broader social factors are also relevant to the decision, they have decided that the time is right to bring this subject to a logical conclusion and eliminate the difference. We believe this positive step will be widely welcomed,” Phillips added.
After the announcement, many of the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour players spoke out in strong support of the decision.
“It’s very good news. It was just a matter of time as I have been saying, so it is now terrific that Wimbledon has made the right decision," said world No.3 and reigning Wimbledon champion Amelie Mauresmo. "It was really a matter of principle that the women players should be paid the same, just like more tournaments are doing such as Dubai and Miami following what the US and Australian Opens have been doing for some years already. Now the pressure is on the French Open."
World No.1 Maria Sharapova, the 2004 Wimbledon champion said: "“I am thrilled with Wimbledon’s decision to award equal prize money. This decision will only strengthen the bond between women’s players and the one of the world’s great sporting events.”
“The greatest tennis tournament in the world has reached an even greater height today," said Venus Williams, three-time Wimbledon champion. "I applaud today’s decision by Wimbledon, which recognizes the value of women’s tennis. The 2007 Championships will have even greater meaning and significance to me and my fellow players.”
Prize money levels for the 2007 Championships have yet to be decided and will be announced in late April.
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