According to a number of media reports such as Global Network, Tencent Network, Sina Network, etc., the International Olympic Committee issued a statement yesterday, proposing not to invite or allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to participate in sports events, and announced the removal of the Olympic medals of Russian President Vladimir Putin and other 3 senior Russian officials.
However, the IOC left some leeway in its statement, "If it is not possible to notify in a short period of time for organizational or legal reasons, the IOC Executive Committee strongly urges organizers of global sporting events to do everything in their power to ensure that ... Nationals of Russia or Belarus, whether individual or in teams, shall be allowed to participate only as neutral athletes or neutral teams, but may not display national symbols, colours, flags or national anthem. ”
Coincidentally, yesterday Russia's Medvedev just became the number one player in the ATP rankings, becoming the third male tennis player in Russian history to be the number one male tennis player in the world after Fernnikov and Safin. Yesterday, the Ukrainian Tennis Federation issued a statement calling for the ban on Russian and Belarusian players from participating in Grand Slams and other tennis tournaments organized by the International Tennis Federation (ITF).
Seva Kevlych, a member of the board of directors of the Ukrainian Tennis Federation, said in an interview in Kharkiv yesterday that Medvedev and other Russian players should be banned from grand slam tournaments, and the Russian Tennis Federation should be banned from tennis team tournaments such as the Davis Cup and the Billy Jane Gold Cup.
"I don't care if Russia is the holder of the Davis Cup and the Billy Jane Gold Cup. Holders are ashamed when they are kicked out of these tournaments. Currently Medvedev can play on the ATP Tour, but the Grand Slam is an ITF event, and if he loses the opportunity to play in a Grand Slam, he will never be able to become the world number one, and he should not be allowed to play in the French Open, the US Open and Wimbledon. Kevlich said.
On February 27, the ITF postponed the ITF M15 event scheduled for ukraine next month and suspended all competitions scheduled for Russia. "Our priority is to protect the safety of tennis players and all those who travel to ITF events. Due to the intensification of security issues, the ITF decided to postpone the M15 event of the ITF World Tennis Tour in Ukraine in April this year, and cancel all ITF events held in Russia indefinitely. The ITF wrote in an official voice.
The day before yesterday, Medvedev called for peace on his personal social media, but he did not comment on the current situation. "Today I want to speak on behalf of every child in the world, they all have dreams, their lives have just begun, there will be a lot of wonderful experiences... That is why I pray for world peace, peace among nations. Children are born with a lot of trust in the world, they believe in everything, in people, in love, in security, in justice, in the opportunities in their lives. Let's show them together that this is true, because every child should not stop dreaming. ”
On February 25, Russian player Rublev also publicly expressed his desire for peace, writing on camera footage after his victory over Macdonald in the Quarter-Finals in Dubai: "Please stop the war". "At times like this, you realize that my game doesn't matter. Because what happens in Ukraine is much more terrible, and as I said, we are aware of how important it is to be at peace in the world, to respect each other and to unite no matter what. We need to take care of our world and each other, that's the most important thing. Rublev said.
Ukrainian player Svitolina said on social media, "We ask the ATP, WTA and ITF to follow the IOC's recommendations and accept only Russian or Belarusian citizens as neutral athletes, without displaying any national symbols, colors, flags or national anthem." ”
In addition to this, Svitonina will refuse to play against Russian and Belarusian players, "Until our organization makes this necessary decision, I will not play in Monterrey tomorrow, nor will I play any other matches with tennis players from Russia or Belarus." I do not blame any Russian athletes, who are not responsible for the aggression of our homeland. In addition, I would like to pay tribute to all the players who have bravely made their position against the war, especially russians and Belarusians. Their support is crucial. ”
Svitonina, currently ranked 15th in the world, is the top singles seed for the WTA250 Mexico Monterrey station, and according to the signs that have been released, she will face the world-ranked Russian player Potapova at 12 noon Beijing time tomorrow.
Last year's French Open women's singles runner-up, Russian player Pavlyutchenkova also called for an end to violence and war on social media yesterday, "which not only takes away our future, but also the future of our children." Stop the violence, stop the war. (Source: Tennis House Author: Yun Cirrus YunShu)