Russians and Belarusians sponsored by sub-sanctioned companies will not be allowed to Wimbledon – Kommersant

The organizers of the Wimbledon tennis tournament last month tightened the requirements for Russian and Belarusian athletes. Now they will not be allowed to participate in the competition if they do not provide proof of breaking the contract with the sponsor who fell under the sanctions, according to BBC Sport. The next Wimbledon will take place from 3 to 16 July.

According to the TV channel, the British government initiated the tightening of requirements. It is specified that the All England Sports Club, on the courts of which Wimbledon is held, will monitor their execution.

The BBC reports that the rules have been tightened, among other things, because of the Russian tennis player Veronika Kudermetova, one of whose sponsors is Tatneft. The EU imposed sanctions against this company in June last year. It is noted that during the tournaments of the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) on Kudermetova’s T-shirt was the Tatneft logo.

In 2022, Russians and Belarusians were not allowed to participate in Wimbledon due to the Russian military operation in Ukraine. In response, the international associations ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) and the WTA fined the tournament and stripped it of its ranking points.

To participate in Wimbledon in 2023, Russians and Belarusians must sign a declaration of neutrality. They will compete under a neutral flag, and they will also be prohibited from speaking out in support of the actions of the Russian army in Ukraine.

It is worth noting that the original version of the declaration also contained a ban on financing by sub-sanctioned companies, but only last month a requirement was added to the document to provide evidence of the termination of the contract.

25 April Director of the All England Club Sally Bolton reportedthat several Russian and Belarusian tennis players signed a declaration to participate in Wimbledon, but did not specify the names of the athletes.

Read more about the requirements of the organizers of Wimbledon to the Russians and Belarusians – in the material “Kommersant” “The Russians have added tennis”.

Erdni Kagaltynov