Australian Open bans Russian or Belarusian flags at matches
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The organization of the Australian Open announced this Tuesday (17) that fans will not be able to carry flags of Russia and Belarus during the tournament.
WHAT HAPPENED
A Russian flag was seen in the stands at the match between the Ukrainian Kateryna Baindl and the Russian Kamilla Rakhimova, for the first round of the Grand Slam. Baindl won the match 2 sets to 1. The presence of a Russian symbol was considered a provocation to Baindl, due to the war between the country and Ukraine. The armed conflict has been going on since February last year.
Vasyl Myroshnychenko, the Ukrainian ambassador to Australia, condemned the object’s presence and urged the tournament to take action. Tennis Australia, organizer of the Grand Slam, was quick to take a position on the matter. In an official note published today, banned the Russian and Belarus sas flags.
Questioned on the subject, Belarus sa Aryna Sabalenka, No. 5 in the world ranking, accepted the decision. The war has already affected Russian and Belarusian tennis players in Grand Slams. In the last edition of Wimbledon, the organization of the event banned athletes from both countries, which generated criticism from Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal.
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