BIn the traditional Wimbledon tournament this year, Russian and Belarusian tennis players are allowed to compete again under certain conditions. The organizers announced this on Friday. Last year, the athletes from Russia and Belarus were still excluded because of the aggressive war in Ukraine, which went against the basic course of the powerful ATP and WTA player associations. That’s why no points were awarded for the world rankings at the only Grand Slam tournament on grass. At the Australian Open, French Open and US Open, tennis professionals from both countries were allowed to start as neutral athletes after the start of the war.
“Our current intention is to accept registrations from Russian and Belarusian players as long as they compete as ‘neutral’ athletes and meet the relevant conditions,” the organizers said in a statement. The third of four Grand Slam tournaments a year will take place in London from July 3rd to 16th.
Ukraine calls for boycott
In addition to renouncing their country’s flag, players may not make statements of support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine or receive any financial support from the state in connection with their participation in the tournament. This also applies to the sponsorship of state-owned companies such as Gazprom. The conditions were worked out after an exchange with the British government, the British tennis association LTA and international interest groups in tennis.
In a statement, the LTA pointed out that the players would have to sign a corresponding declaration of neutrality. The association also emphasized that the decision was made primarily because ATP and WTA had threatened to be excluded. The decision to ban Russian and Belarusian athletes resulted in “significant penalties,” LTA said, “including the real prospect of our membership being terminated if we were to repeat the ban in 2023.”
The organizers left the option open to question the decision announced on Friday if the circumstances “change significantly” before the start of the tournament.
Athletes in Ukraine, meanwhile, were officially ordered on Thursday to boycott competitions involving athletes from Russia or Belarus. This decision was made by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, Cabinet Minister Oleh Nemchinov announced on Ukrainian television in the evening. As he further explained, the decision was taken at the suggestion of the Minister of Youth and Sports and the President of the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine Vadym Hutzait. The decision applies to all competitions, including qualifying competitions for the 2024 Olympic Games.
Should athletes nevertheless take part in competitions in which athletes from Belarus or Russia also compete, this could result in the respective associations being stripped of their national status. In doing so, the Ukrainian government was responding to recommendations by the International Olympic Committee to allow athletes from Russia and Belarus to take part in competitions as neutrals.
