As the world remains impacted by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the realm of sports hasn’t been an exception. Wimbledon has been the primary geopolitical battleground this summer as they have continued stand by their decision to ban players from Russia and Belarus, despite being fined $1,000,000 by the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA).
Source: Global News YouTube
According to a statement issued by the WTA in April, after the All England Club (AELTC) and Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) had banned all competitors from either Russia or Belarus during this year’s Wimbledon, the WTA said it “strongly condemns the actions that have been taken by Russia and its unprovoked invasion of Ukraine” and that they are also “disappointed in [the] announcement by AELTC and the LTA to ban individual athletes who are from Russia and Belarus from competing in the upcoming UK grass court events.”
The statement continued, saying that “As the WTA has consistently stated, individual athletes should not be penalized or prevented from competing due to where they are from, or the decision made by the governments of their countries.”
As a result, the WTA levied massive fines against both organizations. A fine of $250,000 was issued to the LTA as well as a $750,000 fine for the AELTC.
All England Club CEO Sally Bolton via UK Coaching YouTube
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“It’s the subject of a legal process, so I can’t comment specifically on that,” said All England Club CEO Sally Bolton to the press after the fines had been announced. “We stand by the decision we made. We’re deeply disappointed at the reaction of the tours to that decision, and I probably can’t say any more than that at this point, I’m afraid.”
“We thought really long and hard about that decision,” Bolton said about the decision to ban athletes from the two countries. “It was an incredibly difficult decision and challenging decision to make. It was not taken lightly. We thought carefully about the ramifications of taking it. But it was absolutely the right decision.”
Do you agree with the decision to continue the banning of tennis players from Russia and Belarus?