Indian Wells Tennis Event Wont Be Held as Scheduled Due to Coronavirus Outbreak

The BNP Paribas Open tennis tournament in Indian Wells, Southern California, one of the biggest tennis events in the world, will not be held this month due to the outbreak of the coronavirus, making it one of the biggest sporting events to be canceled due to the outbreak. Organizers of the tournament made the decision after county officials declared a public health emergency when a case was confirmed in the area.

The qualifying draw of the tournament was due to start on Monday while the main draw matches were scheduled to start on Wednesday.

Steve Simon, CEO of the WTA Tour, commented that options such as playing the event without fans were considered but the tournament organisers thought it would be best to cancel the event. “We were supportive of the concept. But ultimately the tournament didn’t feel it was in their best interest."

The tournament is the largest sporting event in the United States to be canceled over the outbreak of the coronavirus. More than 450,000 fans attended the tournament in 2018 and in 2019.

Tommy Haas, the Indian Wells tournament director, said they were prepared to hold the tournament on another date.  "We are very disappointed that the tournament will not take place, but the health and safety of the local community, fans, players, volunteers, sponsors, employees, vendors, and everyone involved with the event is of paramount importance. We are prepared to hold the tournament on another date and will explore options.”

There is no update if the Miami Open - another large tennis event which is held after Indian Wells - will be called off or held as scheduled. "The intent is still for Miami to operate. It’s obviously two weeks away, but right now our approach is we are planning to operate all of our upcoming events and put every precaution in place. But we will obviously continue to work with the event very closely and will have to monitor all the situations there.”

The tournament is offering ticket holders refunds or credits toward tickets for the 2021 edition of the tournament.

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/2IvMhOb