The Polish newspaper Sport reported today, Thursday, that Russian tennis player Veronika Kugermetova was banned from playing in the 2023 French Open if she wore the logo of her sponsor, the oil company Tatnefti, in reference to the organizers of the Grand Slam tournament in France. .
Russian oil company Tatnyefty has been cooperating with Kugermetova as a sponsor since 2021, and since then she has been wearing the company’s official logo while playing.
The Poland-based website quoted tournament officials as saying, “The reason for this is the regulations in force in France.” “Any advertisement or comment that violates government or television regulations is prohibited.”
“Tatnefti is on the sanctions list, and the company’s logo is not allowed to be displayed at Roland Garros” – added the organizers.
The 2023 French Open will be held from May 28 to June 11 in the French capital, Paris. The tournament is held on outdoor clay courts and offers prize money of 49.6 million euros.
Kugyermetova is playing neutral in the tournament. 3-6 in singles in the opening round. She lost 1-6 to Slovakia’s Anna Karolna Schmiedlova.
However, the Russian, who is currently ranked 11th by the Women’s Tennis Association, is yet to finish the 2023 French Open, where she will play compatriot Lyudmila Samsonova in the women’s doubles.
Neutral status of Russian players in tennis tournaments
According to international tennis rules, Russian tennis players will take part in the tournament as a neutral.
On February 28, 2022, the International Olympic Committee issued a recommendation to international sports federations not to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to participate in international tournaments, citing Moscow’s special military operation in Ukraine.
And after the recommendations of the International Olympic Committee at the end of February 2022, the majority of world sports federations decided to exclude Russian and Belarusian athletes from all international sports competitions.
However, the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) and the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) allowed Russian and Belarusian tennis players to continue participating in WTA and ATP tournaments, but only in a neutral position.
