Russian athletes should not be ‘penalized’ for decisions of an ‘authoritarian leadership’, WTA exec says

As a number of worldwide sports activities federations proceed to ban athletes from Russia and Belarus amid continued assaults on Ukraine, the Girls’s Tennis Affiliation (WTA) has expressed its opposition to scrutinizing people for the choices of their nation. 

Chief Govt Steve Simon advised the BBC on Tuesday that the WTA doesn’t intend to ban Russian and Belarusian gamers from competing on tour except one thing “important” had been to occur. 

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“You by no means know what the long run could convey,” Simon mentioned. “However I can let you know that now we have by no means banned athletes from collaborating on our tour as the results of political positions their management could take.”

He continued: “So it could take one thing very, very important for that to alter, however once more we do not know the place that is going.”

The WTA and ATP have already banned gamers from representing Russia and Belarus or flying their nations’ flags, however the athletes have nonetheless been capable of compete as people – even towards Ukrainian athletes, a few of which have spoken out towards their presence on the courts. 

Elina Svitolina of Ukraine and Anastasia Potapova of Russia shake fingers after their match through the GNP Seguros WTA Monterrey Open 2022 on March 1, 2022, in Mexico. 
(Gonzalo Gonzalez/Jam Media/Getty Photos)

“I really feel very, very strongly that, once more, these particular person athletes shouldn’t be those which might be being penalized by the choices of an authoritarian management that’s clearly doing horrible, reprehensible issues,” Simon mentioned of the worldwide calls to ban these opponents. 

“But when that occurs, which is once more a part of the general technique of creating Russia, and Russian residents, pay the consequence for the choice their authorities has made, then it will not be one thing that we assist.” 

Simon added if authorities intervention had been to ban Russian and Belarusian gamers from coming into the nation for tournaments, they must abide by the coverage. 

Anastasia Potapova of Russia celebrates some extent through the AKRON WTA Zapopan Open 2022 on Feb. 23, 2022, in Mexico. 
(Cesar Gomez/Jam Media/Getty Photos)

“We’re hopeful that they are going to chorus from that as a result of I believe there are an terrible lot of different points that go along with it,” he mentioned. “I do not assume you possibly can simply choose on the athletes. What are you going to do with the [Russian] refugees that are available? Are you going to deal with the refugees in a different way than the athletes?”