Wimbledon fan has yoghurt confiscated in sponsorship row
It prides itself on being a haven of gentility in the increasingly money-driven world of professional tennis.
But it seems even the venerable All England Tennis Club has cravenly submitted to the real rulers of international sport - the sponsors. Wimbledon has banned spectators from bringing into the ground food or drink not manufactured by the firms which pay tens of millions of pounds to sponsor the tournament.
Even items as innocuous as a small pot of yoghurt or a milkshake are banned under the draconian regulation.
Officials claim that if a spectator were caught on a television camera drinking such an item, that would constitute advertising.
And the firms which paid millions of dollars to be the tournament's official sponsors would be none too pleased.
Marilyn Still, 57, a mother-of-two from Brighton is one of the many who had food items confiscated from them as they entered Wimbledon.
As she entered the ground, she was made to hand over two small pots of yoghurt and two small bottles of chocolate milkshake, both manufactured by Alpro.
Mrs Still said: "I couldn't believe it. The security guard looked through my bag and then just took them off me.
"I asked him why and he said they were banned because of advertising. It was ridiculous. I've got low blood sugar it's important for me to be able to take on sugar when I need to."
The All England Club yesterday confirmed that staff had been confiscating some food and drink as well as hats and other items of clothing bearing "obvious logos".
The spokesman conceded that at times the policing of that rule had been over-efficient, but added: "It is common policy across sports events to do this because commercial companies pay for the privilege to be associated with these events.
"It is not right that a potential competitor should be allowed to use the television coverage to push their own brand."
Mrs Still, on her third trip to Wimbledon, said: "I think of it as an extension of the Nanny State: these days everybody has got to do what they are told. "If I want to eat a yogurt, or drink a milkshake, what on earth is wrong with that? It's ridiculous."
The Wimbledon regulation is the latest example of the increasing dominance of commercial sponsors in international sport.
Three weeks ago thousands of Dutch football fans were forced to watch their team in their underpants at a World Cup match.
The fans had been wearing patriotic orange lederhosen emblazoned with the name of Dutch beer Bavaria.
Unfortunately for them Fifa - no doubt concerned for official tournament sponsor Budweiser - took umbrage and forced the fans to take the shorts off before they entered the stadium in Stuttgart.
Fifteen firms have paid millions of pounds to be Wimbledon's official sponsors. As well as being able to emblazen their logos around the site, only their products are available inside the grounds.
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Originally Posted by Ziggy Stardust
