Increased security checks reason for slow queue, Wimbledon organisers say
Fans took to Twitter on Monday afternoon to vent frustrations at the slow-moving and at some points static queue.
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Your support makes all the difference.Wimbledon organisers have said that increased security checks ā put in place over concerns about protests ā made entry via the queue slower than it has been in previous years.
Fans took to Twitter on Monday afternoon to vent frustrations at the sluggish, and at some points static, queue.
Some hopeful spectators who have visited Wimbledon in previous years condemned the queue as being the āworstā they have ever seen.
A spokesperson for the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) said there was āhigh demandā from queuers on Monday and thanked them for their āpatience and understandingā.
They added: āUnderstandably, our security team on the gates are conducting an enhanced bag check operation.
āWhile there has been a steady stream of guests entering the Grounds since gates opened at 10am, entry via the Queue has been at a slower rate than in previous years as a result of these checks.ā
The clubās chief executive, Sally Bolton, told reporters on Monday morning that security arrangements were boosted after climate change group Just Stop Oil disrupted the second Ashes test at Lordās, the Gallagher Premiership rugby final at Twickenham and the World Snooker Championship.
She told journalists this included a ā100% bag searchā and āselective body searchā at all gates ā the latter of which will be conducted āon the basis of intelligenceā.
Chalk dust or powder substances have also been banned this year and were not listed as prohibited items in 2022.
Organisers advised people via Twitter not to travel to join the queue just before noon.
Becky Deeming, a communications and events manager from London, said she was told by a steward that delays were the result of tighter security measures because of concerns over potential protests.
Ms Deeming told the PA news agency: āOne of the stewards said that they were worried about protesters coming in after seeing protesters at the Ashes so they were doing extra bag searches for everyone.āThe 29-year-old arrived to queue at 3.45am on Monday and got into the grounds at 1.15pm.
āThere was no water, nowhere to sit, it was the longest queue,ā she said.
āEveryone around us had done it multiple times and they said: āWe have never seen it like this.ā
āPeople were getting up and leaving.ā
Ms Deeming added that it was āsuch a bad experienceā and it would put her off queuing in the future.
Filip Reha, who flew to London from the Czech Republic for the tournament, also said he heard delays were caused by security issues.
The 30-year-old told PA he has been to Wimbledon four times, before adding: āThis is the worst time Iāve seen.ā
Melissa Donaldson, 28, from Guildford in Surrey, said she and her friends had āco-ordinated around our calendars and had this planned for monthsā and was not sure āwhether to even botherā in future.
She told PA: āI live in Surrey, was up at 5.30am, on a train by 6.30am and arrived at 8am. We didnāt move from our original spot in the queue for 5.5 hours. There was no communication from staff, no statements from Wimbledon.
āWhen it got to about 1pm, we were asking volunteer staff for updates but they didnāt have any updates for us either. I was number 9,898 in the queue and by 1pm I heard that they hadnāt even reached 3,000 so we left.
āIāve been a tennis fan for decades, finally decided to commit to the event, and it was the worst queuing experience of my life. Iāve had four-hour flight delays that were better co-ordinated. Itās making us question whether to even bother for future years.ā
Michelle Martin, from Sydney, told PA on Monday afternoon that she had not moved in the queue since 7.30am.
āThis is where we started the queue,ā the IT worker said.
āItās very frustrating and disappointing.ā
Ms Martin has come to spectate at Wimbledon eight or nine times in the past, and said she has never seen the queue in such a bad way.
Asked whether the AELTC expects a protest, Ms Bolton told reporters: āOf course weāve taken account of what weāve seen elsewhere, so security has been uplifted in various places around the grounds.ā
She added: āWe are really confident in the measures that weāve taken but I think, as weāve seen at other sporting events, we canāt guarantee anything ā but weāre extremely confident that the measures weāve got in place are the right measures and we are ready to deal with something if it happens.ā
Ms Bolton also said the club is working with behavioural detection officers from the Metropolitan Police.
āTheyāre not a new thing this year. We have them every year. So again theyāre part of our operation this year and in a slightly enhanced way and maybe looking for slightly different things than they would in any other year,ā she said.
The Metropolitan Police said: āA policing operation is in place for The Championships, including both general and specialist officers, to prevent crime and disorder and to be able to provide an effective, timely response to any emerging incidents at the location and right across London.ā
The blue skies and sunshine present early on Monday morning disappeared as south-west London was hit by lashings of rain in the afternoon, suspending play on some courts.
Britons Jodie Burrage and Liam Broady won their matches to secure places in the second round of the tournament.
Home fans will also be cheering for Katie Swan, Dan Evans and Jan Choinski on Monday.
Harriet Dart lost against Frenchwoman Diane Parry in what she has described as her āworst matchā of the grass-court season.
The competition will run until July 16.