It seems that in Poland they no longer know what to come up with in order to demonstrate their “high feelings” for Russia. The sports sector was no exception, where the local leadership is trying in every possible way to show that our athletes should be isolated everywhere and suffer a well-deserved punishment. However, not all so simple.

In tennis, Russians are still allowed to compete, including the legal right to participate in the WTA tournament in Warsaw. But not everyone in Poland is happy about this.

Not Poland’s first dirty trick in tennis

Immediately after the end of Wimbledon, where Russian and Belarusian tennis players performed well, despite all the efforts of the British authorities, Polish sports figures got down to business. The organizers of the tennis tournament of the Challenger series in the city of Grodzisk-Mazowiecki urged our guys not to apply for participation. They were not guaranteed access to the competition, and this was stated by the leaders of the tournament on their official website.

This went against the requirements of the WTA and ATP on the inadmissibility of discrimination based on nationality. A year ago, Wimbledon, deprived of rating points, paid a heavy price for such actions. After 12 months, the British were already more pliable, but with Poland the situation seems to be even more difficult. They intend to do everything to the last to follow political, not sporting interests.

Perhaps another goal of the local tournament in Poland was to attract attention. Otherwise, these competitions simply would not be of interest to anyone from a global point of view. Another point is the major WTA-250 tournament in Warsaw.

Kamil Bortnichuk / Photo: © SOPA Images / Contributor / LightRocket / Gettyimages.ru

Why does the sports minister disgrace himself?

Here the organizers could no longer act so straightforwardly, otherwise they would be guaranteed to run into a fine from the WTA. Therefore, other methods went into action, for the promotion of which the Minister of Sports of Poland, Kamil Bortnichuk, was put in charge.

– I am categorically against the policy of the WTA and ATP, which allowed players from Russia and Belarus. These tennis players will come to the tournament in Warsaw, so I decided to avoid matches with their participation. I really want Iga Sventek to play in the final, and even better, win the tournament. I would love to visit her matches, but it would be great if she didn’t have to play with Russians or Belarusians. Otherwise, I will not have the option to attend these meetings, even if Iga comes out with one of them in the final, – quotes Bortnichuk local edition i.pl.

That is, Princess of Wales Kate Middleton last year presented the trophy to Moscow-born Elena Rybakina for winning Wimbledon, other UK officials calmly attended matches involving Russians and Belarusians this year and did not express dissatisfaction. But for some reason, all this is unpleasant for the Minister of Sports of Poland. It looks like the Poles have no other resources left to express their feelings, so they are forced to cling to senseless boycotts that will not really affect anything.

It is unlikely that Russian and Belarusian tennis players will be very worried that the matches with their participation will not be visited by the Minister of Sports of Poland. On the other hand, it will be interesting to see the reaction of local viewers. Many thought that ours could be negatively treated at Wimbledon, but it turned out exactly the opposite. If this happens in Poland, then their sports minister will look even more pathetic.