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POLITIKOFF

Except last year, "Wimbledon" opens its doors to Russian and Belarusian tennis players

Politiko 2023-03-31 18:34:09

Except last year, "Wimbledon" opens its doors to Russian and

Russian and Belarusian tennis players, excluded last year, can participate in the next edition of Wimbledon, which starts on July 3. They will be accepted as neutral athletes on the condition that they do not show support for the invasion of Ukraine and do not receive funding from the states of Russia or Belarus.

A march behind this of the organizers, it was the All England Lawn Tennis Association itself, which organizes the Championships, which made it known without going into details about the reasons for this change of position, decided in agreement with the British government.

Tennis players from Russia and Belarus to participate in the London tournament must agree to compete as athletes of neutral status, being prohibited from expressing in any way support for the occupation of Ukraine. The organizers have also expressed regret for the criticism they received last year regarding the exclusion of athletes from the two nations directly involved in the occupation of Ukraine.

In the communiqué, they confirm that last year the conditions for the registration of the mentioned tennis players did not exist, adding that they totally condemn the illegal invasion of Russia and in full support of the Ukrainian people. The decision also has to do with the British events that will be held before Wimbledon, in particular the Queens and Eastbourne tournaments.

Ian Hewitt, president of the All England Club, commented: “We will continue to condemn Russia's illegal occupation in totality, while continuing to fully support the Ukrainian people.

This was an extremely difficult decision, and one that we did not take lightly at all. Considering all the elements available to us, we believe this is the most appropriate decision for the 2023 edition. If circumstances change significantly between now and the start of the tournament, we will analyze the situation and make the decisions REQUIRED

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