JRL NEWSWATCH: “Tennis has a Russia problem” – Politico.eu
“As Wimbledon gets into full swing, there’s no hiding the ructions Vladimir Putin’s war on Ukraine has caused in locker rooms.”
“… [A]s the world’s top stars … battl[e] … through … Wimbledon, tennis is grappling with how to handle all the Russian players near the top of the game. Ukraine’s players, for their part, reckon the sport is failing them. There is staunch locker room support among some Russian players for … Putin’s brutal war on Ukraine, as well as links between a top Russian star and a company which finances the Kremlin’s aggression — and even a family connection between a Russian Olympic tennis gold medalist and a tournament in honor of a Wagner Group mercenary fighter. The war has triggered fervent, heated discussion between Russian players behind closed doors in the men’s locker room. …”
According to the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club that hosts the Wimbledon tournament, each Russian and Belarusian player in the competition has provided a written commitment to compete as a neutral athlete and comply with neutrality principles created by the British government.
Click here for: “Tennis has a Russia problem; As Wimbledon gets into full swing, there’s no hiding the ructions Vladimir Putin’s war on Ukraine has caused in locker rooms.” – Politico.eu/ Daria Meshcheriakova
