They will now be permitted to play in the tournament this year. The All England Club announced that players from those countries would be permitted to compete in its tournaments “under certain conditions,” reports Fox News.
Last year the organization decided not to allow athletes from either of those countries to compete. This was put in place as a protest against the aggressive military actions of both countries in the ongoing conflict with Ukraine. At the time, the organization felt it necessary to ban athletes from competing even if they agreed to compete under a “neutral” country designation. They did not want athletes from either of those countries competing in their officially sanctioned tennis matches.
This means that certain athletes were prohibited from even taking a stab at the Wimbledon tournament. This is critically important to note when considering the competition level at those tournaments. Some say that banning these athletes has made the tournament less competitive than it should have been.
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A statement released by the organization on this matter read: “The option of personal player declarations was not in our view viable last year,” and “Since then, extensive engagement with the Government and tennis stakeholder bodies has clarified and developed the form of declarations and produced workable measures for their implementation and enforcement. This approach has the full support of the Government and the LTA, ATP, WTA, and ITF.”
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The statement went on to detail the specific details requirements that a player from either of those countries would need to honor if they were going to compete at all. For example, the players mustn’t show any “signs of support” for the Russian invasion o Ukraine. The player must also not receive any funding from Russia or Belarus, or they will be barred from the competition.
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All England Club chairman Ian Hewitt said in a statement: “We continue to condemn totally Russia’s illegal invasion, and our wholehearted support remains with the people of Ukraine,” and “This was an incredibly difficult decision, not taken lightly or without a great deal of consideration for those who will be impacted.”
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He continued by saying: “It is our view that, considering all factors, these are the most appropriate arrangements for The Championships for this year.”
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