World No. 1 Iga Swiatek disagrees with Wimbledon’s choice to raise restriction on Russian, Belarusian gamers

Wimbledon has actually now raised its restriction on Russian and Belarusian gamers for the 2023 competition, however WTA star Iga Swiatek is uncertain that was the best choice. In 2022, Wimbledon prohibited Russian and Belarusian gamers following the nation’s intrusion of Ukraine. The competition will enable gamers from those nations to complete this year, however it will need to be under a neutral flag.

Swiatek, the No. 1 ladies’s gamer worldwide, informed BBC Sport that prohibiting gamers from Belarus and Russia once again in 2023 would make a distinction given that sports can be a tool for propaganda.

“I heard that after World War II, German players were not allowed as well as Japanese and Italian, and I feel like this kind of thing would show the Russian government that maybe it’s not worth it,” Swiatek stated.

“I know it’s a small thing because we are just athletes, a little piece in the world but I feel like sport is pretty important and sport has always been used in propaganda.

“This is something that was thought about at the start, tennis didn’t truly go that method, and now it would be quite unreasonable for Russian and Belarusian gamers to do that due to the fact that this choice was expected to be made a year earlier.”

Swiatek did note that prohibiting gamers from those nations is a lot much easier stated than done. Swiatek pointed out Daria Kasatkina as a Russian gamer who has actually revealed nerve by knocking the war.

“It’s easy to say that but when you’re facing people face to face it’s a little bit different,” Swiatek informed the BBC. “I did shake hands, for example, with Daria Kasatkina — she openly said that she’s against the war at the beginning and it would be her dream for the war to finish.

“I truly regard that due to the fact that I feel it’s brave for Russian professional athletes to state that due to the fact that their scenario is quite made complex and in some cases it’s difficult for them to speak up loud about it.”

The 2023 Wimbledon Championships will start on July 3 and go through July 16.