ATP, WTA and ITF cancel Wimbledon points, Wimbledon responds quickly
At around 2 am Beijing time today, the International Tennis Federation (ITF), the International Professional Tennis Federation (ATP) and the International Women's Tennis Association (WTA) issued a statement on their respective official websites at the same time, cancelling the points for all Wimbledon matches this year. The move is a counter-measure to Wimbledon's decision to ban Russian and Belarusian players.
Technically speaking, this year's Wimbledon men's and women's events, junior events and wheelchair tennis events are more of an "exhibition match", as players won't be able to score any points, and the results won't affect the rankings. On another level, Wimbledon is still an exciting Grand Slam tournament, green grass, purple flowers, white clothes, yellow balls, strawberry cream, walls covered with creepers, golden trophies, bright silver plates, high Amount of bonus, all that has not changed.
The ATP said in a statement: "Players of any nationality can compete without discrimination on the basis of merit, which is the foundation of our tour. Wimbledon's decision to ban Russian and Belarusian players from playing in the UK this summer undermines this principle. and the integrity of the ATP ranking system.”
The ATP said it "deeply regrets the Wimbledon move, but we have no choice but to cancel the Wimbledon points". The group added: "Our rules and protocols are designed to protect the rights of all players. Wimbledon's unilateral decision, if not resolved, could set a damaging precedent for the rest of the Tour. In a multi-country tour, discrimination at a single event is simply not feasible."
For the ATP500 Queen's Cup, ATP250 Eastbourne and ATP Challenger Tournaments held before Wimbledon, the ATP will retain points from these events. "We made this decision on the basis that the Russian and Belarusian players had other chances in those weeks, unlike Wimbledon, which would have an impact on the integrity of the rankings."
In addition, the ATP also said that it will conduct a separate assessment of "the Law Tennis Association (LTA) violation of ATP rules", or will introduce penalties.
In a statement, the WTA said: "Nearly 50 years ago, the WTA established the fundamental principle that all players compete on the basis of merit and without discrimination. The WTA believes that individual athletes participating in individual sports cannot be judged because of their nationality or the status of their national government. penalty or prevent them from competing."
In addition to the cancellation of Wimbledon points, the WTA will also impose suspensions on other tours in the UK (Nottingham, Birmingham and Eastbourne), "due to the presence of selectable, comparable players within the same week of the tournament. tournaments and ranking opportunities, so WTA ranking points will remain the same across these events.”
Explaining the reasons for the cancellation of Wimbledon points, the WTA said in a statement: "We have taken a position that protects equal opportunities for WTA players to compete as individuals. If we do not take this position, then we are relinquishing our fundamental principles. , let the WTA be an example to support nationality discrimination at other events in the rest of the world. The WTA will continue to apply this rule to reject such discrimination.”
Previously, the ATP and WTA have repeatedly said that they will take countermeasures at Wimbledon. The statement released in the early hours of this morning clearly shows that the two major tennis organizations have taken the same position and initiative. Neither the ATP nor the WTA has ever flinched or hesitated when it comes to violating its core principles.
It is worth noting that the previous decision of the ITF to ban Russian and Belarusian players from Wimbledon was relatively low-key, and did not speak out in a high-profile manner like the ATP and WTA. However, the ITF issued a similar statement simultaneously with the ATP and WTA in the early hours of Beijing time this morning.
The ITF, which is in charge of Grand Slam events such as Wimbledon, has taken the same measures as the ATP and WTA, and said in a statement that it would not offer points for this year's Wimbledon junior and wheelchair events because "the event organization Players may not unilaterally impose entry standards.”
In a statement, the ITF said: "Competition organisers shall not unilaterally impose entry standards that are inconsistent with the public entry standards published by the ITF. Therefore, under the relevant agreement, the ITF has the right to withdraw the ranking points for Wimbledon. The ITF has determined that Wimbledon prohibits Russian and Belarusian participation standards undermine the integrity of international competitions, especially the ranking system, as players lack other equal opportunities to compete for ranking points and prize money. Our difficult decision is seen as upholding the principle of open participation in international tennis competitions , safeguards to uphold the integrity of the ITF’s international tennis competition. The ITF’s position remains that Russian and Belarusian athletes are still eligible to compete as neutral athletes.”
The ITF further stated in the statement, "We firmly believe that it is not politicians who decide who can play tennis. As the International Tennis Federation and the global tennis governing body in 210 countries, the ITF must ensure that all policies remain overwhelmingly consistent globally. "
After the ITF, ATP, and WTA issued a statement on the cancellation of Wimbledon points, Wimbledon issued a targeted statement on its official website at 4:22 am Beijing time today, claiming to be "deeply disappointed" by the cancellation of points, and further stated that Russia is banned The stance of competing with Belarusian players, and the reasons for this stance are also explained.
Wimbledon said in a statement: "We appreciate the differing views on our decision to deny Russian and Belarusian players from this year's tournament and we deeply regret the individuals affected by this decision.
"However, given the UK government's stance to limit Russia's global influence, we believe we have made the only viable decision for Wimbledon, a world-renowned sporting event and a UK institution, and we stand by our decision.
"As we have said before, after careful consideration of various factors, and having to act on the direction of the UK government, we have come to two firm conclusions that form the basis of this decision. We are not prepared to take any action that could jeopardize Actions for the personal safety of players and their families. We believe that requiring individual players to submit written declarations as a condition of participation at the high-profile Wimbledon event would put them and their families at significant risk of scrutiny.
“Furthermore, we remain reluctant that the success of Russian and Belarusian players at Wimbledon be used as a propaganda machine by the Russian regime. Therefore, we express our deep disappointment at the decision of the ATP, WTA and ITF to cancel the championship points. In this particular and extreme situation, the decision (to cancel the points and ban players from both countries) is disproportionate and will be detrimental to all players on the tour. At this stage, we reserve our position."
Written by Sicily Wong
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