MOSCOW, Apr 22 Organizers of the World Snooker Championship, which takes place in English Sheffield banned the Englishman Jack Lisowski from placing the flag of Ukraine on his vest, reports the BBC. Lisowski is ranked 14th in the world ranking. He displayed the flag of Ukraine on his vest next to the British flag in support of the country where his ancestors came from.
"As an international sport, we always maintain a policy of neutrality. And in this regard, our actions are aimed at preventing the use of our sport as a political platform", — quotes the BBC statement from the World Snooker Tour (WST).
The snooker player promised that if wins the 1/8 finals of the competition, then he will celebrate success with the Ukrainian flag. «This is something that is very close to my heart. My grandfather is Ukrainian, my father is also from there. I wanted to place the Ukrainian flag, but I was told that I could not do it «because I'm not Ukrainian. I have a bit of Ukrainian in me, but it's not enough, so I had to take the flag off my vest. If I manage to win, I'll celebrate with the Ukrainian flag,» Lisowski said.