Wimbledon Under Fire Amid Using Over 100 Cars As Part Of 'Extravagant Climate Disaster'
ATP
Wimbledon is a very prestigious event, so much so that it has a fleet of transportation cars for the guests that arrive at the event.
The Wimbledon Championships is the most prestigious tennis tournament in the world. As such, there is a status to uphold, and because of that, there's a pretty high standard for everything. From the rules to the courts, everything is pushed as close to perfection as possible.
Even so, there are some glaring issues in that illusion. The event is quite literally one of the greenest as the colour is prevalent wherever you go, and while they pride themselves to be eco-friendly as well, they really aren't.
The event operates a fleet of 107 Land Rovers that are used for transportation, something that Just Stop Oil protesters certainly aren't happy about. So what exactly is the issue? Well, they're all diesel which is anything but green.
For example, the 2022 Championships saw 357 tournament drivers make 24,474 journeys carrying 36,704 passengers. That's a lot of CO2 especially since most of that journey were under 5 miles so basically a walking distance.
SUVs are an extravagant climate disaster, but they’re just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Wimbledon’s atrocious judgement. This is just another example of Wimbledon’s greenwashing and hypocrisy. The science is clear: we cannot have any new oil, gas or coal if we want to tackle the climate crisis.- Fossil Free London spokesperson Joanna Warrington
According to AELTC sources, the event is moving towards an all-electric fleet of cars, but it doesn't seem to be a huge priority. Electric cars are not exactly new, and the event could certainly back up their eco-friendly talk with some actions.
We believe that Wimbledon, along with other major sporting bodies and events, has a meaningful role to play in helping to protect the environment, today and for the future. Our ambition to have a positive impact on the environment is central to our day-to-day operations and is a core part of putting on a successful Championships.
We know that this is one of the defining challenges of our times and we are fully committed to playing our part. From using 100 per cent renewable electricity across our estate and offering low carbon options on our menus, to sending zero waste to landfill and promoting a culture of reuse, we’re working hard to achieve a positive environmental impact across all of our operations.
