Wimbledon Bans Russian Players

[-SharonA-]

Wimbledon has taken the decision to ban Russian players from the tournament.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/tennis/61161016
Do you agree with this??

[vulcan42]

whether, directly or, as in this case, indirectly, they are still representing their country. Seeing as that Russia is killing thousands and systematically destroying another country, these people shouldn't be there.

[jno]

tennis players don't represent Russia, they're not like footballers playing for England/Russia/whoever. They play as individuals already.

[ichkeria]

Great news
I was hoping Wimbledon would do this.
At this level sport and politics are inseparable.
If I boycott my local sports day because it's being opened by a politician whose party I disapprove of then that is petty and inappropriate.
This, however, is wholly appropriate.

[ichkeria]

Yes, they are unavoidably representing Russia and Belarus, whether they like it or not.

[davebro]

Putin has banned Boris from Russia (I'm sure he's devastated!). I think we should ban ALL Russians from entering the UK & encourage other countries to do the same.

[dannyk13]

Russsian athletes were allowed to enter as individuals when Russia was banned from the Olympics,so why not now?

[naomi24]

I feel for the athletes so I’m in two minds about this in a way … but erring in the side of supporting a ban simply because I feel that whatever the outside world can do to demonstrate its opposition to Russia must be done.

[dannyk13]

Naomi //whatever the outside world can do to demonstrate its opposition to Russia must be done.//
Do you think that Putin cares a damn about whether or not Russian tennis players are banned?

[ichkeria]

“Russsian athletes were allowed to enter as individuals when Russia was banned from the Olympics,so why not now?”

Because that was related to the state-sponsored doping scandal. And some putatively “clean” athletes were made an exception of.
Then as Russia allegedly cleaned up its act or purported to the IOC gradually relented.
But this is a different situation.
It’s also a different body doing the banning: Wimbledon isn’t the IOC.

[-SharonA-]

Of course Putin doesn't care. He is hellbent on world domination at the cost of his fellow compatriots.

[ichkeria]

I suspect he does care a bit, although the fact that he might not care is no reason not to do it.
He might send thousands to their deaths without a care, probably, but he cares about things like prestige and this is another, albeit small humiliation

[naomi24]

Danny, no I don’t think Putin cares but it might go some way to giving the Russian people more food for thought. With western businesses withdrawing and sanctions kicking in, hopefully the penny will drop - eventually - that they’re being governed by a monster.

[dannyk13]

ich// Wimbledon isn’t the IOC.//
Wow! I never knew that.

[bhg481]

The Russian athletes didn't enter the games as individuals, they entered as members of the Russian Olympic Comittee; the letters ROC appeared against their name and the commentators reerred to them as Russians, so a fudge really.

[dannyk13]

bhg They could have been asked to wear plain tennis strip.

[andres]

Yes
I agree with this ban. Furthermore I hope that the Russians will take note of all the war crimes that are being committed in Ukraine and report some of the truth back to their friends and families in Russia.They will have seen the reports on Tv and in the papers.

[bhg481]

danny - the Olympic athletes wore carried no national markings but the fact they were listed as ROC made it obvious where they were from. My wife is watching tennis at the moment; all the players except the Russians have their national flag against their name, so it's obvious the others are Russian. At Wimbledon, of course, everybody wears white.

[ichkeria]

FIFA, ridiculously, wanted to rename the Russian team "The Football Union of Russia" until they were shamed into a proper ban.

Different sports do different things. The IOC were pretty pathetic also, only banning Russia and Belarus from the paralympics when they were faced with a rebellion by other athletes.

[pat2604]

//Yes - I think Russia (& Russians) should be completely ostracised until they replace Putin and his crew with something more reasonable. The change has got to come from within.//

That shows how little we understand about politics and elections in Russia, or Russian people. We are lucky we are allowed to comment on our Government without fear. Why should Russians be ostracised? It won't mean anything to Putin or affect him in any way!

[pat2604]

//I think we should ban ALL Russians from entering the UK & encourage other countries to do the same.//

And likewise to that!