WTA
Kamilla Rakhimova of Russia was playing Spain’s Sorribes Tormo, the flag decal was absent beside the Russian’s name – WTA had it removed
The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) have temporarily deleted information and flag from the profiles of the Russian players on their website. The information was restored after a few hours but it’s unclear why it was removed while profiles of other players remained intact.
Is WTA another sporting organisation that are taking actions against Russia following the Ukraine crisis? Earlier, other sporting organisations like FIFA and the UEFA have disqualified Russian teams from the football World Cup and the Europa League.
Russia’s Kamilla Rakhimova was playing Spain’s Sorribes Tormo in a Round of 32 match at the Monterrey Open when this incident occurred. The Russian flag decal was removed from the live stream while the Spanish flag was intact. The 4th seed from Spain won the match in three-sets 7-5, 6-7, 6-1. WTA has not yet released any official statement regarding their stand on the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
The Russia-Ukraine conflict is a global crisis and has affected sporting activities across the world. Global sporting bodies have taken strict measures against Russian teams while various sporting teams and athletes have refused to play in or against Russia. The reactions come as a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Football’s global governing body FIFA have banned Russia from participating in all its competitions including the World Cup. The European football federation, UEFA have disqualified Russian club, Spartak Moscow from the knockout stages of the UEFA Europa League. The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) have suspended the Russian Ice Hockey teams from participating in international matches. The IIHF have also stripped Russia of the hosting rights of the 2023 World Youth Championship.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian tennis star, Elina Svitolina has withdrawn from the Monterrey Open. The no.1 seed has refused to play against Russian and Belarus athletes and has withdrawn as she was scheduled to play Russia’s Anastasia Potapova.
Svitolina has called on tennis organisations to follow the IOC guidelines and allow athletes from Russia and Belarus to compete as neutrals without any Russian flag or symbol. “I believe the current situation requires a clear position from our organisations – ATP, WTA and ITF”, the Ukrainian said.
We can expect an official statement on the crisis from the tennis associations very soon.
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