Wimbledon will allow Russian and Belarusian tennis players to act as “neutral” athletes. “The decision to lift the ban last year was incredibly difficult,” said Ian Hewitt, chairman of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club (AELTC), which organizes Wimbledon.
Athletes from Russia and Belarus must sign a declaration of neutrality to participate. They will be banned from expressing support for the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Government-funded tennis players, including those sponsored by state-owned companies, will not be accepted.
Last year, Wimbledon came under fire for its decision to ban Russian and Belarusian tennis players entirely amid the Ukraine war.
The world’s leading tennis players condemned the decision, which prevented more than a dozen Belarusian and Russian athletes, including Daniil Medvedev and Aryna Sobolenko, from competing in the tournament.
As a result, Wimbledon was punished for its decision. international tennis associations deprived the ATP and WTA tournaments of ranking points, which were awarded to athletes for winning each round. Wimbledon was actually announced as an exhibition tournament, the results of which do not affect the ranking of the athletes.
