Federations of Belarus and Russia comment on situation in tennis
The Russian side sees no problems with the participation of its tennis players in international tournaments – as President of the Russian Tennis Federation Shamil Tarpishchev told journalists, BelTA reports
“As far as the ATP and WTA tournaments are concerned, we don’t see any problems. Just like we don’t see problems in youth tennis, because at one time the Tennis Europe organisation decided that children can play everywhere. Problems arise only with the UK,” noted Shamil Tarpishchev.
He explained that the ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) and the WTA (Women’s Tennis Association) are purely sports organisations that do not interfere in politics. “Therefore, the issue from a sports point of view in tennis is built, I think, more correctly than in other sports,” said the President of the Russian Tennis Federation.
As for the Olympic Games, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) stated that the main decisions should be made at the level of international federations, reminded Shamil Tarpishchev. “However, it will be by summer, not earlier,” he added.
In turn, the Chairman of the Belarusian Tennis Federation, Sergei Rutenko, noted that the charters of professional associations clearly stipulate that athletes without nationality take part in tournaments and only by rating. However, this year, he pointed out that the organisers of Wimbledon began to hide behind the demands of the British government.
As reported, in 2022, the organisers of Wimbledon unilaterally suspended Russian and Belarusian tennis players, citing Russia’s policy in Ukraine as the reason. This decision caused dissatisfaction with the ATP and WTA leadership, and in response it deprived Wimbledon of ranking points.
In 2023, the media wrote, the organisers intend to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to participate in Wimbledon, as well as in other competitions in the UK.
Shamil Tarpishchev and Sergei Rutenko also noted that friendly and partnership relations have developed between the Belarusian and Russian federations. The parties support each other in the international arena and organise joint competitions.
