Criticism of the exclusion of professionals
Wimbledon refuses Russia’s propaganda
4/26/2022, 7:16 p.m
The criticism is great, but the organizers of the Grand Slam tournament in Wimbledon are sticking to the exclusion of Russian and Belarusian tennis professionals. The risk of getting caught up in the mills of propaganda, even if demands were made to distance oneself from the Russian war of aggression, was too great.
Despite the great criticism, the organizers of Wimbledon still see “no alternative” to excluding Russian and Belarusian players this year. All England Club (AELTC) Chairman Ian Hewitt stressed this and defended the decision. “We’ve looked at the various options extensively,” said Hewitt. This included allowing Russian and Belarusian players who made a statement distancing themselves from the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
If professionals from Russia and Belarus were allowed to participate with a statement against the war in Ukraine, “we risked that their success would have been used to the advantage of the Russian regime’s propaganda machine,” Hewitt said. Or that the professionals could put themselves or their families at risk by distancing. “We believe that we have made the most responsible decision possible,” said Hewitt, speaking of a “really extraordinary and tragic situation”.
The two professional organizations ATP and WTA had criticized the decision as “discriminatory” and “deeply disappointing” and could possibly draw consequences. So it is in the room that no world ranking points will be awarded for Wimbledon this year. A decision could be made at meetings in Madrid this week. “We do not participate in speculation,” said AELTC Managing Director Sally Bolton.
Novak Djokovic, on the other hand, should be relieved that unvaccinated players will also be allowed to play in the lawn tournament this year. The 34-year-old Serb, who missed the Australian Open, among other things, can defend his title. At the beginning of the year there were repeated indications from the official side that participation could only be possible with full vaccination – but these thoughts are no longer an issue.