[Aganim]

In the case of Estonia they don't allow any Russian into their country (with some exceptions). Whether you agree with that measure or not they are consistent.

In the case of the UK if they ban tennis players but let in some oligarchs/businessmen...that would be ridiculous.

Don't you mean "WAS"? Isn't that EXACTLY what happened in 2022??
You are talking like this is a hypothetical scenario. No. THIS HAPPENED ALREADY!!!

The oligarchs and business man were kept inside the country, trading, and doing business worth billions of UK pounds. The UK economy was prospering compared to other country who stopped business with Russia and made huge economic losses, effecting the well-being and standard of living of millions of people unrelated to the war. Yet the UK benefits still from their business relations to Russia.

BUT they have banned Diana Shnaider from playing Junior Wimbledons. THEY have banned Kudermetova, Potapova, Sabalenka, Azarenka, Kasatkina, Medvedev, etc. from competing in Wimbledon. Surely this has more effect than the billions of UK pounds worth of economic value the business man are doing in the UK, untouched...

 

[czerwony ptak]

Yea, I was actually happy when I got banned so I didn't need to read this bs anymore all the time...

 

[Ivory]

To achieve peace, it is enough to withdraw Russian troops from Ukraine, and there are no Ukrainian troops in Russia. But Putin does not want to do this, he continues to bomb and shell Ukrainian cities and villages, destroy infrastructure, kill Ukrainians, including children, and the vast majority of Russians support him in this.
The present and future of Ukraine are clouded by pain and loss. The trauma of the war hangs over a generation of Ukrainian children and teenagers.

And in the West, they are more concerned about the admission of a Russian to Wimbledon, the Olympics and the championships, while the right of Ukrainians to life and their right to live in a free country are of less concern to Western people.

 

[Sheriff]

To achieve peace, it is enough to withdraw Russian troops from Ukraine, and there are no Ukrainian troops in Russia. But Putin does not want to do this, he continues to bomb and shell Ukrainian cities and villages, destroy infrastructure, kill Ukrainians, including children, and the vast majority of Russians support him in this.
The present and future of Ukraine are clouded by pain and loss. The trauma of the war hangs over a generation of Ukrainian children and teenagers.

And in the West, they are more concerned about the admission of a Russian to Wimbledon, the Olympics and the championships, while the right of Ukrainians to life and their right to live in a free country are of less concern to Western people.

You mean the West, of which the US alone has sent almost $80 billion of aid between Jan 2022 and Jan 2023, "are more concerned about the admission of a Russian to Wimbledon" than repelling the Russian invasion? So Medvedev or Samsonova playing Wimbledon will somehow impact the capacity of Ukraine to bust up Russian tanks or bring down Russian jets with their arsenal of Western weapons? Putin didn't stop the war after possibly tens of thousands of Russian soldiers died, and the destruction of the Russian economy due to crippling sanctions, but he'll stop the war because Rublev or Kasatkina can't play Wimbledon. You actually believe your own nonsense?

 

[Obi-Wan-Pierogi]

You mean the West, of which the US alone has sent almost $80 billion of aid between Jan 2022 and Jan 2023, "are more concerned about the admission of a Russian to Wimbledon" than repelling the Russian invasion? So Medvedev or Samsonova playing Wimbledon will somehow impact the capacity of Ukraine to bust up Russian tanks or bring down Russian jets with their arsenal of Western weapons? Putin didn't stop the war after possibly tens of thousands of Russian soldiers died, and the destruction of the Russian economy due to crippling sanctions, but he'll stop the war because Rublev or Kasatkina can't play Wimbledon. You actually believe your own nonsense?

Have you heard of what propaganda is? Do you know what sportswashing is?

So disingenuous posting this nonsense. Yeah, that’s right buddy, everyone thinks Samsonova will be blowing up Ukrainian tanks ::rollseyes::

 

[sophiahagia]

Wimbledon authorities no longer need to 'stand up for a principle', as they put it last year. Is this because ... No longer fashionable? Mission accomplished? An attack of commonsense? Nothing hypocritical about that, is there?

Sports sanctions do not seem to accomplish much (except for the Sth African sports bans which were certainly effective in changing apartheid policy, according to de Klerk, the then SA PM). Their purpose seems to be impotent vengeance or to make authorities feel sanctimonious.
Banning nationalities establishes a tricky precedent. Who is targeted next time? Chinese? Israelis? Iranians? Americans?

Also, may not be too clever to demand that athletes sign a political statement to 'not promote Putin's wars' - if this is true.

 

[Lugaid Ó Cearbhaill]

Have you heard of what propaganda is? Do you know what sportswashing is?

So disingenuous posting this nonsense. Yeah, that’s right buddy, everyone thinks Samsonova will be blowing up Ukrainian tanks ::rollseyes::

Judging by the stupidity I've seen in these threads, I wouldn't be surprised if someone thinks that.

 

[JoyLuckScrub]

Have you heard of what propaganda is? Do you know what sportswashing is?

So disingenuous posting this nonsense. Yeah, that’s right buddy, everyone thinks Samsonova will be blowing up Ukrainian tanks ::rollseyes::

It's hilarious how so many people believe they're immune to the propaganda from their own governments. Sportswashing and propaganda is also Wimbledon and the LTA acting like they're arbiters of morality when the UK is funding and abetting the destruction of Yemen and supporting apartheid Israel with arms sales and political cover. I suppose it's not the same thing when non-European peoples are being murdered and starved.

 

[Lugaid Ó Cearbhaill]

I find the whole demand of an anti Putin public expression a tad problematic when we have so many cases of defenestritis amongst Putin critics

 

[Sheriff]

Have you heard of what propaganda is? Do you know what sportswashing is?

So disingenuous posting this nonsense. Yeah, that’s right buddy, everyone thinks Samsonova will be blowing up Ukrainian tanks ::rollseyes::

Yes. A silly, tediously recycled neologism invented by brainwashed Western chauvinists who apply different standards of accountability to countries depending on their ally or client state statud. And wouldn't even apply here. Russia hosting the Kremlin Cup while waging aggression elsewhere may be somewhat meaningfully applicable. Samsonova playing a tournament where she can meaningfully separate herself from her nationality as a professional is pretty meaningless in the broader context of geopolitics. Else, might as well term the existence of tens of millions of Russian foreign nationals (professors, teachers, engineers, programmers, restaurant owners, taxi drivers or whoever) in the same terms and demand their ostracism.

If the existence of Russian players is so traumatic for you, just tune off, sis. So you don't have to participate in "sports washing".

 

[Raiden]

It's hilarious how so many people believe they're immune to the propaganda from their own governments. Sportswashing and propaganda is also Wimbledon and the LTA acting like they're arbiters of morality when the UK is funding and abetting the destruction of Yemen and supporting apartheid Israel with arms sales and political cover. I suppose it's not the same thing when non-European peoples are being murdered and starved.

What was the Wimbledon ban but a UK govt propaganda coup? The AELTC (a private entity) was encouraged by their afternoon tea buddies (political-elite contacts) to go ahead and ban Russians on their own. Perhaps they were led to believe the govt will follow suit and join them in taking actions. But it turned out the Wimby goons were suckers who were used and discarded (the government of Boris Johnson had no intention to pass laws that ban Russians — they are addicted to that Oligarch dollar more than any other govt in the world.

Boris and the rest of the elected or unelected muppets in Westminster got what they wanted from Wimbledon: something to boast about to the public without actually having to do anything. Wimbledon was left holding the bag (all the consequences of their actions).

 

[Radical Emma]

Have you heard of what propaganda is? Do you know what sportswashing is?

So disingenuous posting this nonsense. Yeah, that’s right buddy, everyone thinks Samsonova will be blowing up Ukrainian tanks ::rollseyes::

I know what sportswashing is, but I don’t think that Medvedev winning a slam is suddenly going to make Westerners think any better of the Putin regime and its actions in Ukraine.

 

[Racketboi]

In the case of Estonia they don't allow any Russian into their country (with some exceptions). Whether you agree with that measure or not they are consistent.

In the case of the UK if they ban tennis players but let in some oligarchs/businessmen...that would be ridiculous.

Exactly. And we know the British government is in desperate need of money so ofcourse they would not dare to keep people with money out of their country, regardless who they are and what interests they serve or have served.

 

[OddOne]

I still fail to understand why the russian tennis players should get special treatment in comparison to any other russian athletes, who are banned from pretty much every major sporting international competition there is?

This. It's strange this is so controversial in tennis when almost every other sport took a stance on this a year ago.

 

[nemala]

Banning nationalities establishes a tricky precedent. Who is targeted next time? Chinese? Israelis? Iranians? Americans?

We all know the Israelis and Americans will never be targeted so we can safely cross them off.

 

[VeniVidiVici]

This. It's strange this is so controversial in tennis when almost every other sport took a stance on this a year ago.

Sheriff had a good explanation up thread

"The ITF and other tennis bodies effected the same bans that Russia faces in other sports. Which means the federations are banned from all activities, ITF sponsored programs scrapped, tournament hosting privileges scrapped, and players can't represent their country in international events (Olympics, Davis and BJK Cups, even the recent United Cup) - cos the countries are already banned. Wimbledon went a step further than any other sport by targeting individual professionals, even though they can meaningfully separate themselves from their nationality in competition - which would be the equivalent of European football leagues or the NHL or NBA or the UFC or pro boxing associations banning Russians from competition. Many Russian athletes have suffered from the sporting sanctions a lot more than tennis players, but this is more to do with the fact that their sports don't have much of a professional circuit (if any) and their careers are heavily or entirely dependent on state representation. Not because tennis had a softer response to the Russian invasion"

 

[Anairo84]

The only way Putin's regime will end is if Russian people take the matters in their own hands. Considering that the vast majority has been extensively brainwashed by state tv it is only a significant decrease in their standard of living that can lead to any reflection whatsoever. And one of many puzzles that could help achieve that is to exclude them from any sports competition.

Until they finally come to their senses the democratic part of the world should show Russians exactly what Polish pole vaulter showed to the Soviets during Moscow Olympics after winning Olympic gold and breaking world record:

 

[zim]

If anything I would argue that Wimbledon banning Russian players actually feeds into Putin's propaganda.

 

[aca99da]

Good, I hope they do allow them to play this year. 🙂

 

[sophiahagia]

We all know the Israelis and Americans will never be targeted so we can safely cross them off.

What about the Poles? That would be fun.