Tournament chiefs rule they are a distraction
Spectators arriving for this week's tennis championships at Wimbledon will not be allowed to bring vuvuzelas into the grounds.
The All England Club's Conditions of Entry already prohibit noise making items such as rattles and klaxons and vuvuzelas fall into the same category.
Ian Ritchie, chief executive of the All England Club, said: "Out of courtesy to the players and their fellow spectators, we make a point of asking spectators not to bring items which could either cause a distraction or interfere with the enjoyment of the occasion. Rattles, klaxons and vuvuzelas all fall into that category and they will not be allowed into the grounds. Our message is do not bring them in the first place."
The tournament gets underway on Centre Court at 1pm on Monday with defending champion Roger Federer taking on Columbia's Alejandro Falla. That match will be followed by British hope Laura Robson playing against the ladies' singles number four seed, Jelena Jankovic.
The traditional queue, which started at 8am on Sunday, is in Wimbledon Park for the third year running.
Tennis fans used to camp in a queue on the pavements down Church Road and Wimbledon Park Road, but it was moved to Wimbledon Park on a trial basis. The All England Tennis Club felt that system was so successful that it formalised the move with Merton Council earllier this year, and the queue will stay in the park until at least 2015.
For information on travelling to the Championships by train, see the special page on the National Rail Enquiries website. For more details on the tournament, go to the official Wimbledon tennis website.
June 20, 2010