The Wimbledon tennis tournament will allow players from Russia and Belarus to participate in this year's major championship held on grass courts as "neutral" competitors, following their ban last year after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The All England Tennis Club stated in a release today, "Our current intention is to accept the participation of players from Russia and Belarus provided they compete as 'neutral' players and comply with appropriate conditions."
It noted that the conditions have been carefully established through constructive dialogue with the UK government, the Lawn Tennis Association, and all relevant international tennis bodies, in line with government guidelines for sports federations in the UK. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba described Wimbledon’s decision as "immoral" and urged Britain to deny them visas.
Dmytro Kuleba tweeted that "Wimbledon’s decision to allow Russian and Belarusian players to participate is immoral," adding, "Has Russia stopped its aggression or its atrocities? No, Wimbledon has merely chosen to harbor two accomplices in the crime." He called on the UK government to prevent players from obtaining visas.
This year's conditions include a ban on "expressing support for the Russian invasion of Ukraine," which Moscow refers to as a special military operation, and a prohibition on the participation of players who "receive funding from the governments of Russia and Belarus," according to the All England Club.
As a result of the ban, Wimbledon forfeited its ranking points, and the men’s and women’s professional tennis associations imposed hefty fines on the Lawn Tennis Association and the All England Club.
Wimbledon was the only major championship to prohibit players from Russia and Belarus, which were launching points for the invasion, last year. The President of the International Olympic Committee, Thomas Bach, expressed regret that some European governments criticized plans to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to return to international competitions, considering it "a blow to the independence of sports." The Prime Minister of Poland, Mateusz Morawiecki, indicated on Wednesday that the IOC's recommendation to allow athletes from Russia and Belarus to compete as neutrals in the Olympics is a "disgrace," and noted that his country would establish a coalition to demand a reversal of this approach.
