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Wednesday, 26 April 2006 |
Wimbledon refuses to give equal money to men and women
Wimbledon has decided to stay the only Grand Slam in tennis not to offer its men's and women's champions equal prize money.
The All England Club has announced its 2006 prize money with the men's winner earning £655,000 compared to the £625,000 first prize for the women.
Last month, French Open organisers said that for the first time they would pay their champions equally and the other two majors - the Australian and US Opens - have been long-time supporters of equal prize money for the winners.
The total prize pot at Wimbledon tops £10m, with the singles prize money increased by 4% since 2005.
The 2005 women's champion Venus Williams was disappointed that organisers did not announce equal prize money for this year's event and she didn't rule out the possibility of tennis players taking further action over this.
The WTA Tour, which has been long lobbying for equal pay, accused Wimbledon of taking a "Victorian-era view" on the subject.
Chief executive Larry Scott said: "In the 21st century, it is morally indefensible that women competitors in a Grand Slam tournament should be receiving considerably less prize money than their male counterparts."
However, All England Club chairman Tim Phillips defended the decision not to award equal pay and explained:
"This issue is one of a judgment on fairness.
"We believe that what we do at the moment is actually fair to the men as well as to the women."
And Tim Phillips went on to say that because of the physical demands of best-of-five matches, the top men rarely play in Grand Slam doubles events and they earn less overall than women, who often compete in singles, doubles and mixed doubles.
"It just doesn't seem right to us that the lady players could play in three events and could take away significantly more than the men's champion who battles away through these best-of-five matches.
"We also would point that the top 10 ladies last year earned more from Wimbledon that the top 10 men did.
"We don't see it as an equal rights issue," Tim Phillips said.
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Last Updated ( Saturday, 29 April 2006 )
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