Friday, October 18, 2024

Wimbledon pulls jigsaw from shop after Just Stop Oil protesters threw pieces on court

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Wimbledon previously sold jigsaw puzzles of Centre Court, its trophies and the draw board in shops but they were removed at the end of last year’s championships.

The puzzles are still available to buy online and the club insists the move was due to a shake up of the shop rather than being linked to the Just Stop Oil protest.

It is understood that after last year’s championship all remaining jigsaw stock was redirected online.

Online sales

The shop has undergone a major revamp and the No 1 Court Shop this year with a focus on tennis-core apparel, which has seen a huge increase in online sales since the start of the year.

Demand for baseball caps has never been stronger, with Wimbledon Wordmark Cap selling faster than ever amid growing sales in the US.

Last July Wimbledon became the latest major event to be targeted by protesters from Just Stop Oil who disrupted two matches on the same court.

Boulter said that she was not sure if it was “the right place or time” after climate protesters targeted Court 18 last year.

The British Number 1 helped clear up the mess with vacuum cleaners and leaf blowers after a protestor scattered a 1,000-piece Wimbledon-branded puzzle and environmentally friendly orange confetti glitter onto the grass at 4.30pm during her opening match.

After a 10-minute halt, the Leicester-born Boulter went on to beat Australian Daria Saville 7-6 (4), 6-2.

Guilty

Two hours earlier two other protesters had disrupted a match between Bulgaria’s Grigor Dimitrov and Japan’s Sho Shimabukuro with the same stunt.

Three protesters were later found guilty of  storming the Wimbledon tennis courts with confetti and puzzle pieces.

Deborah Wilde, 69, Simon Milner-Edwards, 67, and William Ward, 66, were found guilty of aggravated trespass at City of London Magistrates’ Court earlier this year.

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