Australian sporting legend Mark Bosnich has warned against Russian athletes being forced to denounce their country’s government.
His comments come days after it was revealed Russian and Belarusian tennis players will be banned from participating in the Wimbledon grand slam, as a result of president Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
It means several players – including men’s world No.2 Daniil Medvedev – will be locked out of one of the four majors of the season.
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“I think you are crossing into dangerous territory when you start basically singling out a whole nation, and a whole race, because of the actions of a regime,” Bosnich told Nine’s Sports Sunday.
“We know about the form of that regime… it is very difficult. They’ve brought in a law now that anyone who protests in Russia faces 15 years’ prison.
“It’s always easy for us at a distance to turn around and say ‘you should be saying this, you should be saying that’.
“They’ve got families, and there is no messing around, especially in these times. It’s a very difficult thing.
“You’ve got to be careful not to paint everybody with the same brush, especially the situation they are in.”
The decision by the All England Tennis Club to ban those players has been roundly slammed by athletes.
Former Aussie star Casey Dellacqua can see both sides of the argument.
“I really do empathise with both sides. I do think these individuals being penalised is tough,” she told Sports Sunday.
“I think a lot of it comes down to the optics, and what it looks like perhaps at a presentation where the royals are involved and how that might look.
“It’s unfortunate they haven’t been able to find a solution.”
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