Monitoring Desk
ISLAMABAD/MELBOURNE: Russian and Belarusian flags have been banned from the Australian Open Tennis tournament amid controversy after a Russian flag was spotted hanging courtside during a match on the first day of the tournament, organisers said Tuesday.
Spectators were initially allowed to bring flags into Melbourne Park on the condition that they do not cause “disruption”. But the organisers reversed the decision on Tuesday, after fans displayed a Russian flag at a first-round match between Ukraine’s Kateryna Baindl and Russian Kamilla Rakhimova.
“We will continue working with the players and fans to ensure the best possible environment to enjoy tennis,” Tennis Australia, the sport’s governing body in the country, said in a statement.
Australian Open
The 2023 Australian Open tournament is a Grand Slam that is taking place at Melbourne Park from January 16–29, 2023. It is the 111th edition of the Australian Open tournament, the 55th in the Open Era, and the first Grand Slam of 2023.
Ukrainian fans accused Russian supporters of “taunting” Baindl and said they called police and security to the match on Monday.
However, one of the Russian men involved told the local newspaper The Age that his group was only cheering their countrywoman.
He said: “People can view it as being obnoxious but we were just being normal supporters and there was no ridiculing or disrespect.”
Following the incident, Ukraine’s ambassador to Australia and New Zealand, Vasyl Myroshnychenko, called on Tennis Australia to ban the flag at the tournament.
Since Ukraine’s invasion in February last year, Russian and Belarusian athletes have not been able to play under their national flags in several sports, including tennis.
