Ridiculous Rules
The All England Wimbledon Tennis Club is run by a lot of old duffers if you ask me and proof of this particular pudding is contained in this remarkable article from The Telegraph which says that new rules have been introduced this year about what colour of underwear players are allowed to wear.
Now how pathetic is that and if I were Andy Murray, I'd take to the court wearing tartan underpants.
Wimbledon women forced to go bra-less due to all-white rule clampdown
Pat Cash says the clampdown is 'ridiculous' as the rules mean women players have had to take off their underwear
Naomi Broady of Britain returns to Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark in their second round match during the Wimbledon Championships Photo: EPA
Pat Cash, the former Wimbledon champion, has claimed that women players at this year's tournament have been forced to play bra-less following a clamp down on the all-white rule.
It comes after some players, including Serena Williams, tried to introduce colour into their SW19 outfits by wearing bright underwear in previous years.
But under new guidelines issued this year, players may only break up their all-white outfits with a coloured trim of 1cm width.
In a letter sent to players, tournament referee Andrew Jarrett, also said: "Undergarments that either are or can be visible during play (including due to perspiration) must also be completely white and contain no more than 1cm of coloured trim."
Players are said to have reacted angrily to the new rules and in an interview with
BBC Radio 5 Live Cash said: "Some of the girls have been told to go back and change their bras and tops because they had slight colour on them.
"I believe some of the girls didn’t have suitable sports bras and had to go without them. It has absolutely gone ridiculous."
He later pulled out of the tournament - where he was due to play in the master's competition - in protest at the new rules after his own training shoes fell foul of the new regulations. He said that last time he played without the specially adapted shoes, he suffered an injury.
"It's archaic thinking," he said.
Cash added: "One of the players was called into the referees’ office because he had blue underwear that showed through when he got sweaty so he was told not to wear dark underwear."
Although some players have reacted angrily, Venus Williams said she approved of the new rule. In an interview after her win on Wednesday, the usually flamboyant player said: " I think it's a nice change. I think everyone just kind of glows in white. Obviously not all year, because anything every day is boring. But during these two weeks, it's nice."
Naomi Broady, the British tennis player who lost in the second round on Wednesday, has not worn a bra this week. It is not known why not.
A spokesman for the All England Lawn Tennis Club said it would not comment on the bra issue.
Game, set and match! (25 June 2007)
As this year's Wimbledon tennis championship gets underway, we can all celebrate another victory on equal pay.
For the first time in its history, men and women tennis players at Wimbledon will receive the same prize money - no ifs, buts or maybes - women are no longer second class citizens.
Hip. hip, hooray!
So, we should all take our hats off to the old buffers and duffers that run the All England Tennis Club - because they've achieved equal pay more quickly than many other organisations that claim to be leading experts in the field.
Take the trade unions and many of the council employers - they are fond of wearing their political hearts on their sleeves - they swear blind they are equal opportunity organisations - yet for years and years they have failed to live up to this star billing.
National equal pay agreements have been signed amidst great publicity and fanfare - only to be completely ignored by both the employers and trade unions once the dust had settled.
Later still, many local agreements have been reached - often on the back of some reorganisation -yet despite the public commitment to equal pay - many of theses ended up treating women workers less favourably than men. See the recent posts regarding Falkirk and West Lothian Councils.So, the moral of the story is to take what these self-proclaimed champions of equal pay say with a big pinch of salt. Because actions speak much louder than words - and talk is cheap!
Just as well the women tennis players at Wimbledon didn't have to rely on Scotland's councils and the trade unions to deliver a result.
For the first time in its history, men and women tennis players at Wimbledon will receive the same prize money - no ifs, buts or maybes - women are no longer second class citizens.
Hip. hip, hooray!
So, we should all take our hats off to the old buffers and duffers that run the All England Tennis Club - because they've achieved equal pay more quickly than many other organisations that claim to be leading experts in the field.
Take the trade unions and many of the council employers - they are fond of wearing their political hearts on their sleeves - they swear blind they are equal opportunity organisations - yet for years and years they have failed to live up to this star billing.
National equal pay agreements have been signed amidst great publicity and fanfare - only to be completely ignored by both the employers and trade unions once the dust had settled.
Later still, many local agreements have been reached - often on the back of some reorganisation -yet despite the public commitment to equal pay - many of theses ended up treating women workers less favourably than men. See the recent posts regarding Falkirk and West Lothian Councils.So, the moral of the story is to take what these self-proclaimed champions of equal pay say with a big pinch of salt. Because actions speak much louder than words - and talk is cheap!
Just as well the women tennis players at Wimbledon didn't have to rely on Scotland's councils and the trade unions to deliver a result.
