Russian and Belarusian players can also participate in the Wimbledon tennis tournament this year. Tournament organizers announced on Friday they were lifting measures they took against athletes from those countries last year after Russia invaded neighboring Ukraine.

“This is an incredibly difficult decision that is not taken lightly or without much regard for those who will be affected. We believe that after considering all factors, this championship arrangement is the most appropriate for this year.” BBC Ian Hewitt, chairman of the All England Club organization behind the tournament.

He stressed that the organization “continues to fully condemn Russia’s illegal invasion and wholeheartedly support the Ukrainian people.”

Russian and Belarusian tennis players were banned from the prestigious Wimbledon tournament and other British tennis competitions last year after Russia used the Belarusian territory as a springboard for an invasion of Ukraine. Meanwhile, in other world tournaments, including the Grand Slam, these athletes can continue to compete in neutral uniforms.

At the time, the ban sparked contradictory reactions on all fronts. He was criticized by the World Tennis Professionals Association, Serbian Novak Djokovic and, for example, Czech tennis legend Martina Navrátilová. The English Lawn Tennis Association and Wimbledon were both severely punished for the ban, the agency warned AFP. Both organizations received hefty fines and Wimbledon lost ranking points.

The All England Club has now decided to withdraw from this action. He allowed Russian and Belarusian athletes to participate in this year’s Grand Slam, which will begin on July 3. “On condition they compete as neutral athletes” and fulfill certain other conditions.

This includes, for example, the fact that players wishing to participate in tournaments cannot express support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine or for their country’s leaders. Additionally, only athletes who do not receive financial support from the Russian and Belarusian states or organizations associated with them may compete at Wimbledon.

Organizers at Wimbledon said the Russian and Belarusian participation rules had been “carefully drawn up”, after consulting the British government, the British Tennis Association and international tennis organisations.

Under the new measures, Russian tennis players Daniil Medvedev, Andrei Rublev and Daria Kasatkinova, who are in the men’s and women’s top ten rankings, or world number two, Aryna Sabalenkova of Belarus, who won the Australian Open this year, could contest for the winner’s title. Wimbledon based on new measures.

British media warned that the decision to lift the ban on Russian and Belarusian athletes would also apply to another tennis tournament to be held in Great Britain before Wimbledon. Even on them, the conditions of neutrality will apply to Russian and Belarusian athletes.

The Professional Tennis Association and the Women’s Tennis Association welcomed the move by the British organisation. “We are delighted that all players will have the opportunity to participate in a Wimbledon and Lawn Tennis Association event this summer,” the organizations said in a joint statement.

“It will take cross-sport collaboration to arrive at workable solutions that protect the fairness of the game. “The situation remains extremely difficult and we would like to thank Wimbledon and LTA for their efforts to achieve this result, while reiterating our unequivocal condemnation of Russia’s war against Ukraine,” the tennis governing body added.