“What the Poles are doing towards Russian tennis players is a dirty and discriminatory position” – Yanchuk

Honored coach of Russia Viktor Yanchuk called political the decision of the organizers of the tennis tournament in Poland, who recommended that Russian athletes not apply for participation in the competition.

The website of the Challenger series tournament in Grodzisk-Mazowiecki says that the performance of Russians and Belarusians is not welcome, and their access to participation in the competition is not guaranteed. The tournament will be held from 14 to 19 August.

– The same British did the same last year (Wimblelon 2022. – Ed.), but this year they corrected their mistake. This was influenced by the global tennis community. ATP deprived Wimbledon of rating points due to the non-admission of our athletes, thereby punishing them very seriously, and this year the Russians were allowed to compete. What the Poles are doing is a dirty, defiant and discriminatory position. These are political motives and nothing else. Direct interference in sports, and not at a serious level, since the tournament is of a low rank. What to do? Such are the Poles, and one must know them, treat them accordingly. This is not from the field of sports, it doesn’t smell like it here, which means that decisions should be different. The condemning reaction of international organizations. The international society is against the non-admission of Russians and Belarusians. We need to rely on them, but the Poles don’t give a damn: the tournament is small – they do what they want, – RT quotes Yanchuk.

Later, the Ministry of Sports and Tourism of Poland made a statement that they have no legal opportunity to influence the composition of the participants in tournaments under the auspices of the ATP and WTA.

In March, the Executive Committee of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) recommended that international federations, if Russians are allowed to start, carry it out individually, in a neutral status, without participating in team events, and also exclude the participation of athletes associated with law enforcement agencies.