Wimbledon: On Tuesday, the All England Club said that Wimbledon will contribute more than half a million pounds to aid operations in Ukraine.
The All England Club will provide free housing and access to practice courts for Ukrainian players during the grass-court season, donate one pound from each ticket sold to Ukraine, and welcome 1,000 Ukrainian refugees to the competition.
Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Wimbledon stated it will allow Russian and Belarusian players to compete as neutral athletes at this year’s event, which will be held between July 3 and July 16.
The Lawn Tennis Association was fined for barring Russian and Belarusian players in 2022, and the Grand Slam lost its world ranking points.
The decision to include Russian and Belarusian players was made with the full support of our UK Government and the international stakeholder organisations in tennis, according to Ian Hewitt, chairman of the All England Lawn Tennis Club, who was speaking on Tuesday.
“I can honestly say that during my tenure as chairman, this was arguably the hardest choice I had to make. It in no way lessens our steadfast rejection of Russia’s illegitimate invasion of Ukraine.
“We will once more collaborate with the British Red Cross, Merton and Wandsworth Councils, and welcome 1,000 Ukrainian refugees to join us for a day at Wimbledon, complete with tickets, refreshments and transportation.”
Players like Sabalanka and Medvedev are now permitted to compete at Wimbledon.
Aryna Sabalenka, the winner of the women’s Australian Open this year, and Victoria Azarenka, a fellow Belarusian, are among the athletes who are now qualified to compete at Wimbledon.
Daniil Medvedev and Karen Khachanov, two Russian men’s basketball players, are also on that list.
Players must sign statements stating that they would neither support the Russian and Belarusian regimes in any way, nor will they accept financial support from them, in order to compete.
Sally Bolton, the chief executive, stated: “We paid close attention to the feedback from last year. The athletes (from Russia and Belarus) expressed a desire to have the option to sign the declaration in their response.
“We’ve spent a lot of time talking to those athletes to make sure they completely understand the agreements they’re making. We currently have a number of players who have signed them or are in the process of doing so.”
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