Wimbledon ban will turn Russians against the West

The grossly unjust decision of Wimbledon organisers to ban players for the sin of being Russian punishes athletes for decisions made by a despot.

Players such as Daniil Medvedev are being punished by Wimbledon organisers simply because they’re Russian. Picture: Getty Images

Have the Wimbeldon organisers lost their ever loving minds?

The decision to ban Russian and Belarusian players over the Ukrainian war is manifestly unjust.

Collective guilt is never a good idea nor is punishing people for something they have absolutely no control over; their birthplace.

What’s next? Will Chinese players be banned for their country’s treatment of the Uyghurs?

Will they have to publicly denounce Xi Jinping and risk their families ending up in a labour camp to be allowed to play?

Will elite sportspeople from Middle Eastern countries that subjugate women, atheists and homosexuals be banned until there is true equality in Muslim majority nations?

The unilateral decision by the All England Club (AELTC) to exclude players based on their nationality will see the likes of men’s top 10 players Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev, and women’s top 20 players Aryna Sabalenka and Victoria Azarenka excluded from the grand slam event.

The ATP has slammed the decision saying: “Discrimination based on nationality also constitutes a violation of our agreement with Wimbledon that states that player entry is based solely on ATP Rankings”.

A long list of tennis greats from Martina Navratilova to Novak Djokovic have also condemned the AELTC’s decision.

Why should individual athletes be punished, penalised and deprived of their livelihood for decisions made by a despot?

How are we promoting our Western values of equality and individuality by banning players not for their actions but for the sin of being Russian.

By their grossly unfair actions the Wimbledon organisers will only succeed in turning the Russian people against the West.