Ukrainian tennis boycott not yet active: "No decision received yet"
The Ukrainian tennis professionals have not yet implemented the announced boycott of competitions with Russian and Belarusian participants.
by SID
last edit:
Apr 05, 2023, 12:18 pm
The Ukrainian tennis professionals are not yet implementing the boycott of competitions with Russian and Belarusian participants announced by the government. "We have not yet received a signed decision from our government with clear instructions on what we should do," said UTF executive director Yevgeny Sukin in response to an SID request.
Among other things, professionals from the country are currently in action at the WTA tournament in Charleston. In the first round Anhelina Kalinina met the Russian Anna Kalinskaja, after the match there was no handshake.
decision announced on television
At the end of last week, the Ukrainian government ordered athletes in the country invaded by Russia to boycott competitions in which athletes from Russia and Belarus take part. This decision was announced by Oleh Nemechinov, Cabinet Minister and member of the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine, on Ukrainian television on Thursday.
Ukraine was thus responding to the recommendation of the executive of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) from the highest level to allow individual athletes from Russia and Belarus to compete again under certain conditions.
Wimbledon lifts ban
The world tennis association ITF excluded the Russian and Belarusian teams from its team competitions in March 2022. Athletes from countries without a flag and without naming their origin may participate in the ATP, WTA and Grand Slam tournaments. Wimbledon also recently lifted its ban from the previous year.
If the boycott announced by Ukraine were to be implemented in tennis, this would have a major impact on the country's professionals. The IOC recently quoted a press release from the Ukrainian association UTF, which feared the "destruction of Ukrainian tennis".