WIMBLEDON, England (AP) — Two environmental activists were arrested at Wimbledon on Wednesday after running onto one of the courts and disrupting a match by throwing orange confetti onto the grass.
A pair of Just Stop Oil protesters made it onto the field of play at Court 18 before being taken away by security.
Play was suspended by rain before the debris was cleared from the court.
“Following an incident on Court 18, two individuals have been arrested on suspicion of aggravated trespass and criminal damage and these individuals have now been removed from the grounds," the All England Club said in a statement. “Play on the court was temporarily paused and, following a suspension in play due to a rain delay, play is about to resume.”
The activists ran onto the court during a match between three-time Grand Slam semifinalist Gregor Dimitrov of Bulgaria and Sho Shimabukuro of Japan. One of the protestors was carrying a jigsaw puzzle box of Centre Court, and pieces of the puzzle were tossed onto the grass along with the confetti.
Dimitrov was serving with a 1-0 lead in the second set after having won the first set 6-1.
One of the activists then sat on the court and was later removed.
The All England Club increased its security in coordination with London police and other agencies for this year's tournament, in part as a result of protests at other major sports venues in Britain this year.
___
AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
