Wimbledon has lifted a controversial ban on Russian and Belarusian players from competing at this summer season’s Championships.
The All England Club moved to say no entries from Russian and Belarusian players to final yr’s event, citing recommendation from the UK Government following the invasion of Ukraine, however its determination was criticised by the opposite three grand slams and each males’s and ladies’s skilled excursions.
In response, Wimbledon was stripped of its rating factors and the ATP fined the Lawn Tennis Assocation £820,000, after it backed Wimbledon’s stance and banned Russian and Belarusian from the opposite grass-court tournaments hosted within the United Kingdom.
The England Club’s determination sees Wimbledon fall again in step with the remainder of the game, the place players from Russia and Belarus have been allowed to compete underneath impartial flags for the reason that invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
A press release from Wimbledon learn: “Our current intention is to accept entries from Russian and Belarusian players subject to them competing as ‘neutral’ athletes and complying with appropriate conditions.” The LTA has additionally reversed its ban forward of its summer season’s occasions.
Wimbledon added: “The conditions have been carefully developed through constructive dialogue with the UK Government, the LTA and international stakeholder bodies in tennis, and are aligned with the Government’s published guidance to sporting bodies in the UK.
“The option of personal player declarations was not in our view viable last year. 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.
“There was a strong and very disappointing reaction from some governing bodies in tennis to the position taken by the All England Club and the LTA last year with consequences which, if continued, would be damaging to the interests of players, fans, The Championships and British tennis.
“Tennis events outside of the UK have experienced a year of competition with players from Russia and Belarus competing as ‘neutral’ athletes. We also consider alignment between the Grand Slams to be increasingly important in the current tennis environment.”
The ATP and WTA condemned Wimbledon’s determination to ban Russian and Belarusian players from final yr’s event as “unfair”, whereas accusing the All England Club of “discrimination” by excluding rivals based mostly on their nationality.
When asserting its determination final yr, Wimbledon mentioned the transfer was meant “to limit Russia’s global influence”, including that “it would be unacceptable for the Russian regime to derive any benefits from the involvement of Russian or Belarusian players with The Championships.”
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