Security at the ATP World Tour Finals in London this week and the Davis Cup final in Belgium at the end of the month will be at unprecedentedly high levels after the terrorist attacks in Paris, officials said on Sunday.
However, while organisers at the O2 Arena said security has been tightened since the shootings and bombings in the French capital on Friday, access to the shops surrounding the main arena remained largely unhindered.
Because of the layout of the complex, bag checks at two scanners near the main entrance have been sporadic, with non-tennis patrons walking freely through to the shops and other attractions inside the building. Tickets are required only for admission to the tennis, and further checks are carried out at the main doors there.
Players on the first day of the tournament wore black ribbons to pay tribute to the victims of the Paris attacks. “We wanted to show some solidarity,” Jamie Murray said after his opening doubles victory, alongside his Australian partner John Peers, over the Italians Fabio Fognini and Simone Bolelli.
Peers said: “It is difficult to go out and play after what has happened but a lot of us also believe we have to keep pushing forward, putting on events, making sure things don’t stop. It’s very sad and unfortunate. We all have to try to bind together and show support. I think events like this, if they can run smoothly, is great for society and what we’re trying to push forward for.”
In Belgium concerns have been raised about the safety of the players and the estimated 14,000 spectators a day who will attend the Davis Cup final between Great Britain and Belgium at the Flanders Expo in Ghent because the event, over the weekend of 28-30 November, is only 35 miles from the Brussels suburb of Molenbeek, where at least seven people have been arrested in connection with the Paris atrocities.
David Haggerty, the recently elected president of the International Tennis Federation, which stages the Davis Cup, said on Sunday: “Following the tragic events over the last few weeks all sporting events require heightened levels of security and this includes both the Fed Cup and Davis Cup finals.
“For our finals and other ITF events, we follow a rigorous process that includes regular consultation with our experts to ensure that we take every precaution to safeguard our events, fans and players.”
An ITF statement added: “At every ITF event we take security very seriously and Ghent will be no exception. We work very closely with the host association and also with our risk assessors to ensure the security of the teams, the spectators and everyone else who is working on site including media, ITF and national association staff and other workers.”
