The organization of the Wimbledon tennis tournament pays two rooms for every Ukrainian player and ‘staff’ during the grass season and donates one pound (1.12 euros) in aid to Ukraine for every ticket sold.
The information was brought forward this Tuesday by the All England Club, which pledged this financial support – which could amount to £500,000 (about €564,000) – after the organization also decided, as late as March, to return to the players’ tournament Russians and Belarusians.
The context of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, supported by Belarus, meant that Russian and Belarusian tennis players were unable to participate in the world’s most important lawn tennis tournament and the third leg of the Grand Slam last season.
A decision that later led to the ATP and WTA, the circuit’s professional associations, deciding that there would be no points awarded in the 2022 Wimbledon tournament, something unprecedented.
At a press conference on Tuesday, All England Club president Ian Hewitt admitted that allowing the participation of Russians and Belarusians this year, after being vetoed the previous year, was the “hardest decision was of his presidency of the tournament.
Despite the participation of players from both countries, the tournament will not be broadcast in Russia and Belarus and the tennis players will have to sign a statement committing them not to support their country or the war, flags or any sign of support is prohibited .
This year’s Wimbledon tournament will take place from July 3, with the women’s singles final on the 15th of the same month and the men’s final on the following day.
Source: DN
