French Open: Attendance of spectators reduced to 5K per day

Paris, Sep 18 (IANS) The organisers of the Roland Garros 2020 have now been forced to reduce the number of spectators from 11,500 spectators per day to 5,000 per day due to a recent spike in Covid-19 cases in the country.

“The evolving hygiene situation in the Paris area has prompted the Paris police department to limit the number of spectators who may enter the 12 hectares Roland Garros site on a daily basis to 5,000 during the tournament,” the French Tennis Federation has said in a statement.

The FFT was initially aiming to host daily crowds of 5,000 at both the Philippe-Chatrier and Suzanne-Lenglen showcourts while 1,500 fans at the smaller Simonne-Mathieu court.

“The FFT is conscious of how disappointing this news will be for those who will not be able to come to the stadium due to the reduction in capacity,” it added.

The French Open, which was originally scheduled to start in May but had to be moved back because of the outbreak of novel coronavirus, is slated to be played from September 27 to October 11.

Meanwhile, Ashleigh Barty and Naomi Osaka have both pulled out of the tournament. While Barty had pulled out of the clay court Grand Slam due to health concerns amid the Covid-19 pandemic and a lack of preparation, Osaka has withdrawn from the tournament due to a hamstring injury.

–IANS

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