"Silence is cheating": Svitolina and Co. call on ATP, WTA and ITF to get answers
The Ukrainian tennis players around Elina Svitolina call on the world associations to get answers from Russian players.
by Florian Goosmann
last edit: Apr 21, 2022, 11:58 am
"Silence in the face of injustice means complicity with the oppressor," Ukrainian top players Elina Svitolina and Marta Kostyuk quote human rights activist Ginetta Sagan in a call to the WTA, ATP and ITF.
With Russia's war in Ukraine, millions of people became homeless, and millions of children now know what fear and death look like. "All this is happening now, in the middle of Europe," they continue.
As an athlete in public life, you bear an enormous responsibility, with postings and opinions on social media that generate greater coverage than regional TV. However, it is striking that few Russian and Belarusian players mention the war but never say that Russia and Belarus started it in Ukraine. This silence is no longer bearable.
"We ask the WTA, ATP and ITF that players representing Russia or Belarus answer these three questions:
1. Do you support the invasion of Russia and Belarus into the territory of Ukraine and as a result the war that these countries started?
2. Do you support the military activities of Russia and Belarus in Ukraine?
3. Do you support Putin's and Lukashenko's regimes?
If the answer to these questions is 'yes', we call for banning Russian and Belarusian athletes from participating in international events, as Wimbledon has already done."
The All England Club announced on Wednesday that Russian and Belarusian players are not allowed to play in the Wimbledon tournament - and the associated tournaments leading up to it.
The ATP and WTA had heavily criticized the Wimbledon decision.