Today is April 1st, but the following is not an April Fool's Day joke.
According to Tennis365, Tennishead and other websites, on Wednesday (March 30), British Sports Minister Nigel Hadelston reiterated his previous position that athletes from Russia and Belarus must ensure that they do not support the Russian and Belarusian governments if they want to participate in British sports events, including Wimbledon, by signing a written statement.
Since the outbreak of military conflict between Russia and Ukraine on February 24, the international community has reacted one after another. The International Tennis Federation (ITF), the ATP and WTA, the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon, and the U.S. Open, which are in charge of professional tennis players and professional events for men and women, have jointly introduced measures stipulating that players from Russia and Belarus can only participate in att and WTA tour tournaments and the four Grand Slams supervised by the ITF in a neutral capacity, and must not display the national flag and national emblem of the two countries during the competition.
On the official websites of the ATP and WTA, the flag logo next to the names of Russian and Belarusian players has also been removed. On February 28, Medvedev, who topped the men's world for the first time, became the world number one without a flag, probably the first world number one without a flag since the Open era.
The suspension of sporting events in Russia and Belarus and the prohibition of participation in team events in the name of the state are common practices in many international sports organizations. In addition, some sports organizations have introduced tougher sanctions. For example, organizations such as the IAAF, the World Rowing Federation, the World Badminton Federation, the International Basketball Federation, the International Skating Federation, the International Ice Hockey Federation, FIFA and UEFA prohibit athletes or sports teams from both countries from participating in international events managed by these organizations.
In addition to non-governmental sports organizations, there are also some countries that have separately introduced sanctions against Russia and Belarus. Earlier last month, Hadelston announced that the British government would escalate sanctions, and athletes from both countries who wanted to participate in sporting events in britain would have to ensure that they did not support Russian President Vladimir Putin.
After this statement was issued, people speculated about how this measure would be implemented, such as whether it would be expressed publicly or privately, and in what way it would be expressed. On Wednesday, Hardeston responded to the above speculation by requiring athletes to provide written assurances.
The move will affect many of the top tennis players, including last year's US Open champion Medvedev, No. 6 Rublev, No. 22 Karatsev, No. 25 Kachanov and other outstanding men's players.
On the women's side, last year's French Open runner-up Pavlyuchenkova, No. 5 Sabarenka, no. 16 Azarenka and others will also be affected.
It should be noted that the above provisions apply not only to Wimbledon, which starts on 27 June, but also to other events held in the UK, including the Nottingham Open, queen's Cup, etc.
Hardeston said: "I had good talks with the various governing bodies about what we are doing in terms of sanctioning and banning individual athletes, and we do make demands to the governing bodies concerned with individual sports people that if they (Russians and Belarusians) want to play in a sport in the UK, they have to be independent and neutral.
"We would like to be assured in a written statement that they have not received sponsorship from Putin, Russia or Belarus and that they will not make supportive comments about Putin, Russia or Belarus."
"We require assurances from governing bodies or individual events before allowing neutrals to compete. If people say they are neutral athletes, we want to make sure that they are truly neutral and therefore have no connection with Putin.
"If certain sports organizations choose to ban Russian or Belarusian athletes outright, then we will also support it." But if they choose to take the neutral route, then we ask them to make a guarantee. ”
The French Open, which opens on May 22, have confirmed they are unlikely to emulate the British government's approach, while Australian retired tennis doubles star Todd wood bridge has warned that asking players not to support or condemn the Russian government is a "very dangerous move" because their families "will pay the price".
Bridge believes that tennis is an international personal sport, and he uses his own example to prove this point. "It's an individual sport and I feel like they should be allowed to play, and the team is different, that's national representation. Many tennis players do not currently live in Russia or Belarus. For example, for 11 years of my career, I've lived in the United States. (Source: Tennis House Author: Yun Cirrus YunShu)