The United States Tennis Association (USTA) said on Tuesday that it will allow individual athletes from Russia and Belarus to participate in the 2022 US Open tournament, but only under a neutral flag.
In a statement, the USTA, along with Grand Slams, the International Tennis Federation, the Association of Professional Tennis Players and the Women’s Tennis Association, said it “already condemned and continues to condemn Russia’s unprovoked and unjust invasion of Ukraine. ”.
“We recognize that each organization has had to deal with unique circumstances that affect their decisions. Based on our own circumstances, the USTA will allow all qualified players, regardless of nationality, to compete in the 2022 US Open,” they wrote.
The US Open tournament will run from August 29 to September 11. According to Mike McNulty, chairman of the board and president of the association, “the USTA will respond very soon with a broad set of initiatives that will include significant financial assistance and other programs to further support humanitarian aid and the people of Ukraine.”
MCNulty cites the actions taken by Tennis Plays for Peace, an initiative to bring the tennis community and fans together to support humanitarian relief efforts for the war in Ukraine.
According to the USTA statement, the association will work with players to use the US Open as a platform to further the peace program’s humanitarian effort.
The USTA also said it will present initiatives to scale up existing efforts, “including committing to significant financial support, details of which will be announced shortly.”
Source: CNN Brasil
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