In world sports, starting this spring, a new stage has begun – Russian athletes have a real chance to compete in international tournaments.

Of course, this process is difficult, but positive changes are evident. However, there was a country that decided to give a damn about all the rules and recommendations and arranges lynching, violating human rights.

It seems that Poland has already earned itself a full-fledged ban.

Just Punishment

At the end of March, the head of the IOC, Thomas Bach, recommended that Russian athletes be allowed to the Olympics in Paris. Although the conditions for this are practically impossible for most of our athletes, it is still foolish to deny the rhetoric that has changed for the better.

Federations are gradually starting to work with these assumptions from the IOC Executive Committee. Moreover, in some cases, the reaction of organizations is extremely revealing. So, a couple of days ago, Poland was deprived of the right to host the World Youth Wrestling Championship among athletes under 20 years old. The reason is the refusal of the host country to issue visas to Russians and Belarusians. And what seemed a fantasy a year ago is now a reality. Amman (Jordan) gets the tournament, and the Poles are left with a nose and … with their discrimination based on nationality.

Youth team of Russia in freestyle wrestling / Photo: © Wrestling Federation of Russia

Similarly, the International Greco-Roman, Freestyle and Women’s Wrestling Federation punished Finland. Our neighbors at the end of October were also supposed to host the World Youth Championship, but for an older group – up to 23 years old. Now they won’t accept it.

Significant, albeit still local precedents.

Unprecedented outrage

However, for the Polish side, these bells seem to mean nothing. A few days later they refuse entry to Vera Zvonareva, although our tennis player had a valid visa. In the current tense situation, any case of such a refusal would be an occasion for conversation. But what were they thinking about in Poland when they “marinated” the former second racket of the world and the bronze medalist of the 2008 Olympics at the airport?

Hoping no one would notice? Hardly. Rather, they wanted to be noticed and deliberately provoked by both the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and the WTA leadership. Impunity goes hand in hand with permissiveness. And the wording of the border guards sounds like a mockery – “for reasons of state security.” Yes, perhaps, Zvonareva, armed with a racket, could single-handedly destabilize the situation in Warsaw. Some nonsense!

Vera Zvonareva / Photo: © Robert Prange / Contributor / Getty Images Sport / Gettyimages.ru

Obviously, such arbitrariness cannot be put on hold. Although the management of the women’s tour has not yet assessed the actions of the Poles:

— The WTA is aware of the situation with Vera Zvonareva in Warsaw. The safety and well-being of all players is a top priority for the WTA. Vera left Poland, and we will study this issue in the future, the organization said in a statement.

But, given last year’s experience with Wimbledon, when the most prestigious grass tournament was fined and deprived of ranking points, it’s hard to believe that now the Polish situation will be hushed up.

Remove all tournaments

Strictly speaking, the reaction of world sports should be more severe than hypothetical penalties or deprivation of a rating:

– International federations need to think about depriving Poland of the opportunity to host international competitions. Because it is not safe there and there is no sport here, only politics,” Svetlana Zhurova reasonably noted.

Svetlana Zhurova / Photo: © Denis Bushkovsky / Match TV

Such harsh decisions by Poland regarding both wrestlers and tennis players look short-sighted, first of all, in relation to their own athletes and residents. Well, does it benefit the sport when an international tournament is taken away from your country? With wrestling already burned, tennis is next in line …

But with such dynamics, things should come to more serious restrictions. Why on earth can one state dictate its terms to the entire sports world, the leadership of the federations and, ultimately, the IOC? The integrity of the sport was the main argument in the mouth of Thomas Bach when our athletes were deprived of the right to compete in the championships. But isn’t Poland now encroaching on this very integrity with its discrimination?

As long as the Poles commit arbitrariness, they have no place in world sport. It’s time to make a counter move and keep the sequence.