MOSCOW, Mar 16 Head of the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) Steve Simon spoke against the suspension of Russian and Belarusian athletes from competitions for political reasons. At the end of February, the IOC recommended that international sports federations not allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to participate in their competitions due to the situation around Russia and Ukraine. A number of IFs have followed this recommendation, others including the ATP and WTA have allowed neutral athletes. political position that the authorities of their country can take,» Simon said. He also noted that if the governments of the countries where the competitions are held prevent the entry of athletes, then the ATP and WTA will not be able to prevent this. «This will force us to change our position, because, obviously, we must follow the instructions of the local authorities,» he said.
