Tennis players from Russia and Belarus will not be allowed to compete in Wimbledon this year, organizers announced.
The All England Club, which organizes the prestigious event, barred the athletes due to the war in Ukraine, marking the first time that Grand Slam event organizers have said athletes from the two nations will not be allowed to compete in a tournament.
“In the circumstances of such unjustified and unprecedented military aggression, it would be unacceptable for the Russian regime to derive any benefits from the involvement of Russian or Belarusian players with The Championships,” the All England Club said in a statement. “It is therefore our intention, with deep regret, to decline entries from Russian and Belarusian players to The Championships 2022.”
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Dmitry Peskov, a spokesman for the Kremlin, condemned the tournament when asked about reports speculating that it was set to bar Russian athletes.
“Making athletes victims of some kind of political prejudices, intrigues, hostile actions towards our country, is unacceptable. One can only express regret here,” Peskov said, per CNN. “Considering that Russia is after all a very strong tennis country, our tennis players are in the top lines of the world ranking, the competition itself will suffer from their removal.”
But several prominent Ukrainian tennis players, including Marta Kostyuk, Elina Svitolina, and Lesia Tsurenko, released a letter calling on other governing bodies in the sporting world to follow suit with bans and urging fellow players to voice opposition to the war.
“As athletes, we live a life in the public eye and therefore have an enormous responsibility. Some of our posts and opinions reach an audience larger than those of regional television stations,” the letter said. “The very silence of those who choose to remain that way right now is unbearable as it leads to the continuation of murder in our homeland.”
Both Russia and Belarus are home to highly-ranked tennis players who were expected to perform well. Russia’s Daniil Medvedev is currently ranked No. 2 in men’s tennis, and Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus was ranked No. 4 in women’s tennis.
Since Russia invaded Ukraine in late February, organizers for the Women’s Tennis Association and the Association of Tennis Professionals have continued to allow players from both countries to compete in tennis tournaments. However, those athletes are prohibited from competing under the flag or name of Russia or Belarus.
Last month, the All England Club reportedly had discussions with the British government about whether or not Russians should be allowed to compete in the Wimbledon event. In Wednesday’s statement, the group left the door open to inviting the countries back if the circumstances in Ukraine change.
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The Wimbledon ban joins a growing list of major sporting events that have banned the two countries. Both Russia and Belarus have been prohibited from the Billie Jean King Cup and Davis Cup international tennis competitions. Organizations in other sports have also taken similar measures, including FIFA booting Russia from international soccer competitions.
The Wimbledon tournament is one of four major Grand Slam tennis tournaments, alongside the Australian Open, the French Open, and the U.S. Open. The event is slated to take place from June 27 to July 10.
