Wimbledon 2023

[choux]

The ban against players from Russia and Belarus has been lifted.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/tennis/64933565
I know the above link states "Agreeing not to support the Russian and/or Belarusian states or their regimes and leaders" but I think that refusing to show a player's nationality on the score boards is taking matters to an extreme. I would prefer not see politics mix with sport. Anyone agree?

[Rosetta]

The ban should have continued otherwise we are saying the west is weak in its resolve, give it enough time and they will cave in. The invasion is as wrong today as it was in the very beginning

[choux]

I am not disagreeing over the invasion.

My point is about politics in sport. Easy to see why the ban was lifted, fear of losing other tournaments.

[Old_Geezer]

I've always thought they ought not mix, but as I age I wonder if banned folk should accept life isn't fair, and understand one can't afford to be seen catering for a nation behaving badly. Of course there are questions about where one draws the line, and who decides. There are plenty of tyranical governments doing wrong, sometimes against other peoples. Are they all banned, or do we decide government action is not the citizens fault ?

[choux]

Surely,
OG, the AEC should be catering for tennis itself?

[JJ109]

No, just like with apartheid and the banning of South Africa from all sports, so should Russians for the invasion of Ukraine.

It is the only way for ordinary Russians to understand that the whole world is against them for their invasion of Ukraine.

[Ellipsis]

> I would prefer not see politics mix with sport. Anyone agree?

That would be lovely. But here's the problem. Suppose that one tennis player is Ukrainian, lives in Ukraine, trains in Ukraine, is funded by Ukraine and all her friends and family live in Ukraine. And another tennis player is Russian, lives in Russia, trains in Russia, is funded by Russia and all her friends and family live in Russia.

Is it a level playing field on the tennis court, if Russia is waging war on Ukraine?

[ichkeria]

Surely if you remove the name of the country then it’s less political ;-)

But it’s all very silly. Pretending they aren’t whatever. They should not be here full stop. It’s not really Wimbledon’s fault: they led the way last year but were threatened by tennis’s governing bodies if they did so again. It was up to the government to stop their work permits.
Personally I’d have let the Belarusians in.
But it’s all irrelevant now.

[choux]

Thank you, Ich I appreciate your reply.

I fully believe that there are some Russians who are decent and do not wish to support the invasion, JJ109.

I have an ideal vision about sport being free from politics and ridiculous associated money obsessed so-and-sos. Any sportsman/woman should be able to compete against anybody in their own field. Dream on, choux...

[ichkeria]

Unfortunately you can’t separate top level international sport from politics. While I agree that at lower levels it matters less.
No doubt the players in question are all decent but it’s not the point really.
Ironically Rybakina, last year’s ladies winner, is to all intents and purposes Russian but plays under the flag of Kazakhstan. You do have to draw the line somewhere. It’s more about the flag and the label.

[JJ109]

Yes, there are some Russians that are decent, and do not support the invasion, and the tennis players themselves are also probably decent, but you have to look at the big picture.

By banning ALL Russian sportsmen/women it brings it home to ALL Russians, the majority of whom believe Putin's propaganda, that the way that Russia is conducting this war is abhorrent.