International tennis tournament “VTB Kremlin Cup” canceled

The tennis tournament “VTB Kremlin Cup”, which was supposed to be held from October 16 to 23 at the Irina Viner-Usmanova Gymnastics Palace in Luzhniki, was canceled. The Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) and the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) removed the tournament from their competition calendar back in March. The Kremlin Cup has been held in Moscow since 1990.

“It is expected that by the end of the year a series of international tennis tournaments will be organized in Moscow, including competitions with the participation of Russian tennis legends and our young athletes, who are leaders in the world rankings in their age categories,” says in the statement of the organizers of the competition.

In early March, the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) and the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) suspended the membership of the Russian and Belarusian federations in the International Tennis Federation against the background of the Russian military operation in Ukraine, which has been carried out since February 24 by order of President Vladimir Putin. Athletes from Russia and Belarus allowed perform at tournaments under the auspices of the ATP and WTA without the right to demonstrate national symbols – the flag and anthem.

Nikolai Antipin