Wimbledon to fund accommodation for Ukrainian players and teams, announce big donation for relief efforts
The All England Club, the organizers of Wimbledon, have announced that they will pay for Ukrainian players' accommodation during the 2023 edition of the tournament. Additionally, they will also donate £1 for each ticket sold during the 2023 Wimbledon Championships towards relief efforts in Ukraine, expecting to raise 500,000 pounds in the process.
The initiative comes after the AELTC earlier announced that Russian and Belarusian players will be allowed to compete at Wimbledon this year after facing a ban last year, owing to the ongoing war in Ukraine.
The tournament organizers will pay for two rooms for Ukrainian players (competing in both qualifying rounds and main draw matches) and their team members throughout the 2023 grass-court season and also for the practice facilities that these players and their teams will need.
The AELTC reinstated Russian and Belarusian players into the grass-court Grand Slam last month under the condition that they would play as 'neutral' athletes and not represent or express their support for Russia or Belarus in any way during the tournament.
Daniil Medvedev, Andrey Rublev, Karen Khachanov, Aryna Sabalenka, Victoria Azarenka, and Daria Kasatkina were among the players that missed out on competing at SW19 last year due to the ban placed on their countries.
AELTC chairman Ian Hewitt stated that it was an extremely difficult decision to reinstate Russian and Belarusian players for the 2023 edition.
"I found this probably the most difficult decision during my chairmanship," he said.
Russian and Belarusian players sign special declaration for Wimbledon 2023
The All England Club also revealed that Russian and Belarusian players have started signing a declaration promising they will not express support for Russia, Belarus, or the war in Ukraine during their time at Wimbledon.
The declaration is a prerequisite for their participation in the tournament this year. The Grand Slam event will not be broadcast in Russia and Belarus and media personnel from both countries will also not be allowed at the venue.
Additionally, flags and other means of showing support towards both countries will also be disallowed at SW19 this year. The move comes after the situation during the Australian Open earlier this year, where a few fans carried Russian flags on the grounds of Melbourne Park.
The main draw matches at the 2023 Wimbledon Championships will begin on Monday, July 3. The women's singles final will be played on Saturday, July 15, while the men's singles final is on Sunday, July 16.