Russians and Belarusians back at Wimbledon as war in Ukraine continues

Mon, Jul 3, 2023
Other News (AP)

WIMBLEDON, England (AP) - When Victoria Azarenka walked into Court 15 on Monday morning for her first Wimbledon match in two years, she was greeted by polite clapping. When the two-time Grand Slam champion from Belarus finished off a three-set victory more than 2 1/2 hours later, Azarenka shook her racket with her right hand and pumped her left fist, then offered a wave to the spectators who were applauding warmly.

Unlike her opponent, Yuan Yue, whose nationality was noted on the scoreboard alongside her name, Azarenka had no country listed there. That's because players from Russia and Belarus are back competing at Wimbledon a year after they were barred by the All England Club because of the invasion of Ukraine - and, in a sort of half-measure adopted by some other sports, are deemed "neutral" athletes who officially do not represent any nation.

The war that began in February 2022 when Russia invaded Ukraine with help from Belarus continues, but Wimbledon's organizers announced in March they would lift their ban - about which Azarenka said in an interview that, in the big picture, "I'm not sure that it made any difference."

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While other players have flags to the left of their names on the oversized, manually-operated brackets on the outside wall of Centre Court, the Russians and Belarusians do not. Nor are the countries noted on official schedules or results issued by the All England Club, nor as part of graphics on TV broadcasts of matches. The Club did not allow Wimbledon to be aired on television in Russia or Belarus.

Azarenka and all other entrants from those two countries needed to - and did - sign a declaration agreeing to three stipulations: They wouldn't be representing Russia or Belarus; they wouldn't accept funding from those governments or companies operated by them; they wouldn't express support for the invasion of Ukraine or the leaders of Russia or Belarus.