Wimbledon organizers had already banned Russian and Belarusian players from participating in the 2022 edition of the Grand Slam. This decision was taken amidst Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Now the organizers have decided to distribute free tickets to Ukrainian refugees so that they could come and watch the most prestigious tennis tournament of the year.
Other than that, Wimbledon has also pledged to donate 250,000 pounds ($307,100) to the people affected by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. After Wimbledon decided to ban Russian and Belarusian players from the tournament, ATP, and WTA, retaliated by taking away their ranking points. However, this has not rattled Wimbledon at all.
“On behalf of The All England Lawn Tennis Club and the LTA, we wish to express our ongoing support for all those impacted by the conflict in Ukraine. We recognise the fantastic response from the British public to welcome Ukrainian refugees into their homes and communities. To that end, the All England Club has invited all Ukrainian refugees who have settled in the boroughs of Merton and Wandsworth, alongside their sponsor and charity delivery partners, to join us at The Championships for play on Middle Sunday, 3 July,” Ian Hewitt, Chairman of the All England Club said in a statement.
“In addition, the All England Club and the LTA have jointly committed a 250,000 euros donation on behalf of Wimbledon to the refugee response efforts through the Tennis Plays for Peace initiative and the British Red Cross Ukraine Appeal,” he added.
Twitter reactions to Wimbledon’s decisions
Fans have voiced their opinion on Twitter regarding the decisions taken by the All England Club on Friday.
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