Article author:
London — sponsored by Wimbledon And British tennis officials said on Monday that they had sued the fines given to them by the women's governing body, WTA, for excluding Russian and Belarus players from this year's grass court event.
The All England Club (AELTC) and the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA), which organize Grand Slams, have banned players from both countries in a British tournament after Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Surgery'.
The WTA and its male counterpart, ATP, called the move discriminatory and decided to remove all ranking points from Wimbledon, warning the LTA of sanctions. ..
As part of the penalties, the LTA was fined £ 620,000 and the AELTC was asked to pay £ 207,000 ($ 250,000), the Daily Mail reported.
"First of all, I don't think I can comment specifically because it's subject to legal proceedings," AELTC CEO Sally Bolton told reporters in Wimbledon on Monday. Told.
"We support the decision we made. We are deeply disappointed with the tour's reaction to that decision. Probably nothing more at this point. I'm afraid.
Bolton confirmed that AELTC had appealed against the fine, but LTA sources said they did the same.
The WTA did not immediately respond to the request for comment.
The World Tennis Authority bans Russian and Ukrainian team events, but individual athletes are allowed to enter the tournament as neutral.
AELTC's position on Russians and Belarusians is the first time that players have been excluded because of their nationality since the ban on German and Japanese players immediately after World War II. did.
"It was a very difficult and challenging decision to make," Bolton said. "It wasn't something we took lightly. We thought carefully about the implications of taking it.
" But that was an absolutely right decision for us. This is the only viable option in the context of the government guidance being implemented and we support that decision.
"I hope others will take a different view. Accept, but we absolutely support that decision. "
($ 1 = 0.8232 pounds) (reported by Sudipto Ganguly, edited by Ken Ferris)
