FILE – Vera Zvonareva of Russia returns the ball to Danielle Collins of the U.S., during the Miami Open tennis tournament, Saturday, March 26, 2022, in Miami Gardens, Fla. Former world No.2, Russian tennis player Vera Zvonareva has been banned from entering Poland for a WTA 250 tournament in Warsaw, Poland’s Ministry of the Interior says Sunday, July 23, 2023. Poland, which supports Ukraine in its war against Russia’s aggression, said that Zvonareva was on a ban list and has not been allowed in for reasons of state and public security. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier, File)
A communique from Poland’s Interior Ministry said that Zvonareva was on a banned list and not allowed into the country for reasons of state and public security. Poland has backed Ukraine in its war against Russia’s aggression ever since the outbreak of war in the region back early last year.
Poland’s Interior Ministry banned Russian tennis player Vera Zvonareva from entering the country ahead of the WTA 250 tournament in Warsaw, in which she was scheduled to take part.
Poland, which supports Ukraine in its war against Russia’s aggression, said that Zvonareva was on a banned list and not allowed into the country for reasons of state and public security.
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A communique on the ministry website said the Polish Border Guard on Friday denied entry to the 60th-ranked player, who flew in from Belgrade on a French visa. She remained in the transit zone of the Warsaw airport and on Saturday flew to Podgorica, Montenegro.
The communique stressed emphasised Poland’s intent in opposing the regime of Russian and Belarusian Presidents Vladimir Putin and Alexander Lukashenko and is not allowing people who support Russian and Belarusian actions to enter our country.
The 38-year-old Zvonareva was to take part in the PNB Paribas Warsaw Open tournament that begins Monday.
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The former world number 2 ranked player was still on the event’s participants’ list Sunday. The WTA said in a statement it was evaluating the situation.
Russia launched an unprompted attack on Ukraine’s sovereign territory earlier last year with the assistance of Belarus, following which multiple sporting bodies have imposed bans on athletes from the two nations.
The countries of the world vehemently condemned the acts of violence and dished out sanctions on the two nations responsible for the disruption of peace in Ukraine.
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Events scheduled to be hosted by the two nations were stripped as world sporting bodies took seriously to the breach of the Olympic spirit.
Moves to bring back athletes from Russia and Belarus have been initiated by certain bodies that have sought to permit the admission of athletes from the two nations to contest as neutral and individual athletes, with no ties to the regimes of Putin.
