WTA speaks up for Russian tennis player who was deported from Czech Republic
The Women's Tennis Association has issued a statement in defense of a Russian player who was deported from the Czech Republic on the orders of the country’s Ministry of Internal Affairs.
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The association said players from Russia, which is waging a war of aggression against Ukraine, and Belarus, which has allowed Russia to attack Ukraine from its territory, have the right to participate in all WTA competitions if they play under a neutral flag, “solely on the basis of merit and without discrimination.”
“The WTA emphatically condemns the war in Ukraine and the reprehensible actions of the Russian government,” the statement reads. “The WTA also continues to support the Tour’s Ukrainian athletes – as well as all WTA athletes – who face immense challenges as professional athletes while many of their loved ones and their country face attacks from Russia.”
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“Individual WTA players whose nationality is Russian/Belarusian continue to compete on the Tour on a neutral basis. Despite their neutrality, some WTA players are being denied by Czech government authorities the ability to compete at the WTA 250 event scheduled to be held in Prague next week.
“WTA rules state that all players must be allowed to compete on the WTA based solely on merit, without discrimination. We will continue to review the situation as we factor important considerations around these complex geopolitical issues.”
Earlier, in June this year, the Czech government banned its athletes and teams from participating in competitions on the territory of the Russian Federation, and also banned Russian athletes and teams from participating in competitions on the territory of the Czech Republic.
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Earlier it was reported that the Polish border guards did not let a Russian tennis player, Vira Zvonareva, into the country to compete in a tennis tournament in Warsaw. The Polish authorities said Zvonareva had been refused entry because “Poland consistently opposes the regime of (Russian dictator Vladimir) Putin and (Belarusian dictator Alexander) Lukashenko, not allowing persons who support the actions of Russia and Belarus into our country.”
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