The organizers of the Wimbledon Tennis Championships have filed an appeal after the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) has fined them for banning Russian and Belarusian players, the head of the All England Club said Monday.
Club CEO Sally Bolton confirmed the appeal on Monday and told reporters that the organization upheld the ban and was “disappointed” by the International Tennis Federation’s reaction to the ban.
All England Club stands for All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC), which runs the Wimbledon Championship Tournament.
AELTC and Wimbledon Executive Committee on April 20 Reject entries from Russian and Belarusian players In the light of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the 2022 championship. This decision also affected warm-up tournaments.
according to Daily mail, AELTC has been fined £ 207,000 ($ 251,000) and the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) (British tennis governing body) has excluded Russian and Belarusian players from Wimbledon’s warm-up tournament in Eastbourne. I received a fine of £ 620,000 ($ 752,000). , Nottingham, and Birmingham.
“We support the decision we made.”
When asked about the fine on Monday, Bolton said he couldn’t comment “specifically” because of legal proceedings, but said the club was disappointed.
“We support the decision we made, we are deeply disappointed with the tour’s reaction to that decision, and I probably can’t say anything more about it at this point, I’m afraid, “she said.
Bolton confirmed that AELTC had appealed. She also said she was waiting for the club to hear from the Tennis Professionals Association (ATP) about the decision to fine the championship beyond the ban.
She later stated that banning Russian and Belarusian players from tournaments was an “incredibly difficult and challenging decision”, but it was “the only viable option”.
“It wasn’t something we took lightly. We thought carefully about the implications of taking it,” Bolton said. “But that was an absolutely right decision for us. This is the only viable option in the context of the government guidance being implemented and we support that decision.”
“We accept others to take different views, but we absolutely support that decision,” she added.
The LTA was also scheduled to appeal, according to a report from Sunday’s Daily Mail. The Epoch Times approached the LTA for confirmation.
Wimbledon “should be praised”
British Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries told the publication that the two organizers “should be praised” for banning Russian and Belarusian players.
“Since February, the majority of the international sports community has been solidarity and blame. [Russian President Vladimir] Putin’s barbaric behavior in Ukraine, “she said.
“Unfortunately, the International Tennis Federation seems determined to be banished with this. LTA and Wimbledon should be praised for making Russia an international sports paria and doing the right thing in the current situation. is.”
Earlier this year, both the WTA and ATP criticized Wimbledon’s decision to ban Russian and Belarusian players.
They held a meeting in Madrid in April to decide how to respond.
The ATP, WTA, and the International Tennis Federation all announced in May that, in response to the ban, the governing body would not award ranking points for the next Wimbledon Championship.
Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic said the Wimbledon ban was a “mistake” and supported the move by the international tennis governing body.
PA Media contributed to this report.
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Lily Zhou is a freelance writer who mainly covers the British news of The Epoch Times.