Russian and Belarusian flags banned from Australian Open after Ukraine's complaint

Russian and Belarusian flags have been banned from the Australian Open after Ukraine's ambassador complained about spotting the Russian flag in Melbourne Park.

Vasyl Myroshnychenko, the Ukrainian envoy to Australia and New Zealand took to Twitter to make his case after a Russian flag was spotted during Ukrainian player Kateryna Baindl's first-round match.

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"I strongly condemn the public display of the Russian flag during the game of the Ukrainian tennis player Kateryna Baindl at the Australian Open today. I call on Tennis Australia to immediately enforce its “neutral flag” policy.'

After Myroshnychenko's post went viral, Tennis Australia quickly reacted and released a statement saying the flags from the two countries were outright banned now.

"Our initial policy was that fans could bring them in but could not use them to cause disruption. Yesterday we had an incident where a flag was placed courtside," read the statement.

"The ban is effective immediately. We will continue to work with the players and our fans to ensure the best possible environment to enjoy tennis.”

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After Tennis Australia's decision, the Russian embassy in Australia released a statement as well and slammed the tournament organisers for their partisan behaviour.

"The decision to ban Russian and Belorussian flags from appearing onsite at the Australian Open is another example of unacceptable politicisation of sports," said the Russian embassy.

"On top of already discriminating against Russian tennis players with its ‘neutral flag’ policy Tennis Australia now went further by making sure they can not be visibly supported by their fans," it added.

Notably, after Russia invaded Ukraine last year, Russian and Belarusian players were barred from participating in Wimbledon Grand Slam.

Read more: Wimbledon defends ban on Russian players, confirms Covid vaccination not mandatory for participation

"We believe we have made the most responsible decision possible in the circumstances. And that within the framework of the governance position, there`s no viable alternative to the decision we have taken in this truly exceptional and tragic situation," said Ian Hewitt, chairman, All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) at the time.

(With inputs from agencies)

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