All of them will have to sign a “declaration of neutrality”
Organizers Wimbledon reported that this year tennis players from Russia and Belarus will be able to play in the tournament Grand Slam series.
“We intend to accept applications from Russian and Belarusian players, provided that they act as “neutral” athletes and comply with the relevant conditions. They are prohibited from expressing support for the Russian invasion of Ukraine in various forms and are prohibited from participating by players receiving funding from Russian or Belarusian states.”
It is reported that the conditions were carefully developed based on a constructive dialogue between the UK government, the British Tennis Association (LTA) and international tennis organizations. Tennis players from Russia and Belarus, as well as their teams, will have to sign a “declaration of neutrality”.
Earlier, the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) proposed to the British Tennis Association (LTA) to reduce the fine if Russian and Belarusian athletes are admitted to three tournaments (Nottingham, Birmingham, Eastbourne) before Wimbledon 2023.
It was also reported that tournaments under the auspices of the ATP and WTA could be taken away from the LTA if the association extended the ban on the performances of Russian and Belarusian tennis players.
In April 2022, the organizers of Wimbledon decided to remove Russian and Belarusian tennis players from participation in the tournament in connection with the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation into Ukraine.
ATP and WTA allow athletes from Russia and Belarus to their events under a neutral flag. It should be noted that at the Australian Open-2023, during the match between Ukrainian Katerina Beindl and Russian Kamilla Rakhimova, fans demonstrated the flag of the Russian Federation. Also, the symbolism of Russia was noticed at the match between Serb Novak Djokovic and Russian Andrey Rublev, and Djokovic’s father was caught on video with a fan in a T-shirt with the Z symbol.
Source: Sportarena
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