On Air Now:
Now Playing:Loading...
site loader
March 16, 2022 WTA Boss Steve Simon Says Players Should Not Be Banned From Sports Due To Politics
The head of the Women's Tennis Association, Steve Simon said Players should not be penalised because of the "decisions of an authoritarian leadership" after the recent happenings in Ukraine have seen Russian and Belarusian athletes been banned.
 
The American CEO and Chairman says he "feels very very strongly" that players from Russia and Belarus should be able to continue to compete on tour.
 
Players from these countries are not currently allowed to play under their country's name or flag, or play in any team competitions.
 
"You never know what the future may bring," Simon told BBC Sport.
 
"But I can tell you that we have never banned athletes from participating on our tour as the result of political positions their leadership may take.
 
"So it would take something very, very significant for that to change, but again we don't know where this is going."
 
The WTA and ATP Boards suspended the combined event scheduled for Moscow in October following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The suspension also means all International Tennis Federation tournaments in Russia and Belarus have been cancelled indefinitely.
 
But none of the international governing bodies are currently minded to follow sports such as athletics, football, badminton, canoeing and rowing in banning individual Russian and Belarusian athletes from competing.
 
The UK Sports Minister Nigel Huddleston stated on Tuesday that Russian players might need to make clear they are not supporters of Vladimir Putin to be allowed to compete at Wimbledon this year.
 
 
 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Rating*

Watch Live

x
PHP Code Snippets Powered By : XYZScripts.com
X