Wimbledon bans Russian, Belarusian players from tournament

Wimbledon is banning Russian and Belarusian players from competing in this summer’s tournament as Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine continues.

In a statement on Wednesday, the tournament said it will decline entries from Russian and Belarusian athletes for The Championships 2022.

“In the circumstances of such unjustified and unprecedented military aggression, it would be unacceptable for the Russian regime to derive any benefits from the involvement of Russian or Belarusian players with The Championships,” Wimbledon said.

“It is therefore our intention, with deep regret, to decline entries from Russian and Belarusian players to The Championships 2022,” the tournament added.

The announcement comes after The New York Times and Sportico reported that Wimbledon was banning Russian players from participating this summer. The Times also reported that Belarusian athletes would be barred.

Wimbledon said it will “consider and respond accordingly” if the situation changes “materially” between now and the start of the tournament, which is set to begin on June 27.

The All England Lawn Tennis Club, the group that organizes and hosts Wimbledon, earlier this month said it was discussing Russia and Belarus’s participation in the event with the British government, according to Reuters.

With the ban, Russian player Daniil Medvedev, who won the U.S. Open men’s singles championship last year, is barred from competing in Wimbledon. Russian player Andrey Rublev, the No. 15 women’s player, is also now blocked from the tournament.

The Kremlin condemned reports of Wimbledon banning Russian players, calling the move “unacceptable.”

“Making athletes victims of some kind of political prejudices, intrigues, hostile actions towards our country, is unacceptable,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in response to the reports during a conference call with journalists, CNN reported. “One can only express regret here.”

The development comes in the seventh week of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which began on Feb. 24.

Moscow’s offensive has already shaken up the sports world, with a number of competitions blocking Russians from participating in events.

Russian and Belarusian runners were prohibited from competing at the Boston Marathon this week, and athletes from Moscow are barred from participating in the World Cup later this year. 

FIFA placed an indefinite ban on Russia from competitions in late February after the invasion began. Russia tried to block the ban until a complete appeal could be litigated, but the request was blocked last month by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Wimbledon on Wednesday condemned the “illegal actions” by Russia, and said it has the responsibility “to play our part in the widespread efforts of Government, industry, sporting and creative institutions to limit Russia’s global influence through the strongest means possible.”

Ian Hewitt, chairman of the All England Lawn Tennis Club, said the group came to the decision after carefully considering other moves.

“We have very carefully considered the alternative measures that might be taken within the UK Government guidance but, given the high profile environment of The Championships, the importance of not allowing sport to be used to promote the Russian regime and our broader concerns for public and player (including family) safety, we do not believe it is viable to proceed on any other basis at The Championships,” Hewitt said in a statement.

— Updated at 11:49 a.m.