Tennis, the War in Ukraine, and Wimbledon's Ban

It's been a while but so much has happened not least of all the invasion of the Ukraine by Russia. This aggressor act shocked the world. And rightly so! Hence, I'm struggling to understand why Wimbledon's ban on Russian and Belarusian players has become such a heated debate. (Belarusia has a formal military alliance with Russia and is a long standing dictatorship itself, ie since 1994.) Incidentally, it's not the first time the All England Club has banned players. This also happened after WW2 when both German and Japanese players were banned from the Grand Slam. So what's the big deal?

Yes, I know everyone has the freedom to play regardless of nationality (ITF rule), and I totally agree. But I think the rule is being misapplied in this case. Banning isn't something I support which is why I argued Djokovic should have been allowed to play the Australian Open under the principle that it's his body, his choice if he wishes to be vaccinated or not and his freedom to be allowed to do his job, playing competitive tennis, unhindered and without discrimination.

However, I argue there is an exception and that is war. It's not a case of why punish players who are not engaging in the war themselves. No, but they have freely chosen to represent a dictatorship in their respective countries even in peace time. And sport generates pride, promotion, glorification of a successful sporting nation. It brings respect. Do we want Russia glorified by sporting success at a time like this? Surely, the answer is, no! Wimbledon is rightly taking account of the fact that Russia has state run media which disseminates propaganda glorifying their nation and sporting success. Russian media will, therefore, ignore that their Russian national tennis players are competing neutrally if the opportunity arises to promote their international sporting achievements. So by allowing the Russian and Belarusian players to compete, neutrally or not, you are supporting Russian distortion about the war and any possible fake Russian news about Russia's international standing and sanctions against them. This can also undermine the efforts of any resistance movements in Russia to enlighten Russian citizens about the autocratic, totalitarian Russian regime as well as to convey truths about the Russian invasion and war in the Ukraine.

This is before we factor in the possible complication of the royal family presenting a Russian or Belarusian winner with the championship's trophy. And this is a distinct possibility on the men's side. The royal family cannot be seen to endorse the war. Simple as! 

However, the ATP, WTA stripping the Grand Slam of points just exacerbates the situation. But the ITF is on the Grand Slam Board. The ITF headquarters are based in London (Roehampton). So why would the ITF go against Wimbledon which is down the road from them as the crow flies? It's they who oversee Grand Slams but don't, however, give out the ranking points, that's the domain of the ATP and WTA.

I cannot help but wonder: Where's the moral compass?

People in the Ukraine are under siege, driven out of their country, bombed and killed and all we have a fit about is banning a few tennis players. The Championships are sending out a strong message to Russia (and Belarusia) that the war on Ukraine is not tolerated but condemned! That is a positive message not a negative. So, I do support the ban but I think war is the only exception for banning anyone or anything. Besides, the ban is part of sanctions against Russia and is merely in line with the British government's stance. 

Nonetheless, the ITF argue that only allowing Russian and Belarusian players to play as neutral athletes is a sufficient response to the war. They claim it's not up to politicians to determine who can play in tournaments. True, but during C-19, tournaments were expected to be run in accordance with their government's C-19 policies and rules. The ITF goes on to emphasise that tournament entry is open and based on merit! But on this principle, surely Djokovic should have been allowed to play AO!🤔 By banning Russian and Belarusian players, the ITF continues, it jeopardises the integrity of international competition. This, I think, refers to the ITIA (International Tennis Integrity Agency) set up in 2021 governed by The Tennis Integrity Supervisory Board - this is bureaucracy gone mad! 

Other sports have banned them so it can't be against general regulations and international competition ethics within the sports world and industry as a whole. For instance, athletics has banned even neutral athletes from Russia from competing in the World Athletics Series, until further notice. It's been praised as a positive contribution to efforts to end the war in the Ukraine. Sport is internationally expected to join together with other sectors, such as businesses, in creating strong sanctions against Russia. 

The music sector, for instance, has banned Russian citizens from international competition, such as this international violin competition in Italy that I shared to my Facebook timeline. The organisers are at pains to point out that this is in no way discrimination against any individual, but is solely because of Russia's invasion and war against the Ukraine.  

Some of the other sports that have banned Russian and Belarusian both athletes and officials are: Archery; Badminton; Baseball and Softball; Biathlon; Triathlon; Pentathlon; Canoeing; Rowing; Sailing; Skating; Skiing; Surfing; Taekwondo; Volleyball; Snow volleyball; Beach volleyball. And I've probably forgotten a few! So, I think, Wimbledon could and should have gone even further and banned tournament officials from the two countries as well. 

Furthermore, I would add that by messing with the ranking points the ATP has, ironically, enabled a Russian player (Medvedev) to take over the number one spot from Djokovic. So QED. The ATP has proved Wimbledon right because by stripping the tournament of points they've highlighted and rewarded a Russian player so putting the spotlight on Russia in a positive way! 🤦