ATP and WTA Tennis Tours in a Fix After International Olympic Committee Advocates Ban on Russian Athletes
Follow Us
Over the past few days, the repercussions of the on-going Russia-Ukraine war has shown an impact on the sporting world. With several sporting personalities showing support in their own way, the latest information to emerge belongs to the International Olympic Committee as it will put both the ATP and WTA tennis tours in a spot of bother.
International Olympic Committee recommends exclusion of Russian athletes from international events
The IOC recommends sporting organizations to exclude all the Russian and Belarusian athletes from International events. These sanctions proposed by the committee is yet to get a response from the ATP, WTA and ITF organizations.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Breaking: The International Olympic Committee has called on sports organisations to exclude all Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials from international events
— Rob Harris (@RobHarris) February 28, 2022
The IOC also has withdrawn the Olympic order from Putin. It is the highest honor granted by the International Olympic Committee.
Trending
‘RIP’ – Heartbroken Brother of John McEnroe Mourns ESPN Legend’s Tragic Death Who Last Tweeted About Coco Gauff
April 21, 2024 02:43 PM EDT
Serena Williams’ Husband Alexis Ohanian Gushes Over Her ‘Little Pink’ Attire as Part of Nike’s Latest Endeavor
April 23, 2024 05:55 PM EDT
‘Pure B**S*T Fandom Speculation’ – Andy Roddick Weighs in on a Highly Probable Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal Emotional Reunion at Laver Cup
April 24, 2024 11:01 AM EDT
Madrid Open: Aryna Sabalenka’s Fashion ‘Upgrade’ Stumps Tennis World As They React to Her Outing With Rumored Boyfriend
April 23, 2024 06:48 AM EDT
Mutua Madrid Open: Heart-Broken Taylor Townsend Makes Shattering Admission About Missing Son’s Martial Arts Performance
April 23, 2024 04:07 AM EDT
Get instantly notified of the hottest Tennis stories via Google! Click on Follow Us and Tap the Blue Star.
Follow Us
The IOC has withdrawn the Olympic order from Vladimir Putin "considering the extremely grave violation of the Olympic Truce and other violations of the Olympic Charter by the Russian government in the past"
— Rob Harris (@RobHarris) February 28, 2022
This comes as a crucial move from the IOC with the onus now lying on ATP and WTA tours to take a call based on the on-going conflict between Russia and Ukraine. While both the tours are yet to provide a response, several Ukrainian tennis players requested their respective tours to come to a decision.
Svitolina and other Ukrainian players want WTA and ATP tennis tours to make Russian players as neutral athletes
Elina Svitolina, former world no.3 from Ukraine, decided to stop playing against Russian and Belarusian athletes as she wants these athletes to be made neutral by the WTA.
“I believe the current situation requires a clear position from our organizations: ATP, WTA, and ITF. As such, we – Ukrainian players – requested to ATP, WTA and ITF to follow the recommendations of the IOC to accept Russian or Belarussian nationals only as neutral athletes.”
✊🏼🇺🇦 #Ukraine #Україна #StandWithUkriane pic.twitter.com/1LT4WjrYI9
— Elina Monfils (@ElinaSvitolina) February 28, 2022
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Following the IOC recommendations, FIFA and UEFA confirmed Russia’s ban from football events in a meeting on Monday. Coming to tennis, Russian players like Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, Andrey Rublev, and others have vouched for peace through their posts on social media.
While the IOC asked for organizations to exclude Russian and Belarusian athletes, the appeal from Svitolina and her fellow Ukrainian players are different. They only want the tours to remove the name ‘Russia’ before the player names and want them to play on the neutral front.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
The conflict keeps escalating with each passing day as the impact is seen on the sporting arena across the globe.