Wimbledon’s stand on Russia has been reduced to meaningless gestures

Open this photo in gallery: Russia's Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova is one of four Russian or Belarusian players who could reach the semifinals of women's singles play at Wimbledon.KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/AFP/Getty Images

When Wimbledon decided to ban all Russians and Belarusians after the invasion of Ukraine, it was anxious to congratulate itself on taking a principled stand.

It was down to “not allowing sport to be used to promote the Russian regime,” then All England Club boss Ian Hewitt said.

Even the Olympics – which have been repeatedly humiliated by Russia – wouldn’t go anywhere near that far.

Leading up to that tournament, a debate was had around sports. Then a couple of players cried about it on TV, so it stopped.

Three years later, this Wimbledon has become a small triumphal Russian march on the women’s side of the bracket. Four of the quarter-finalists are Russian or Belarusian. All four could advance to the semis. So much for not being used as promotion.

Our internet-addled brains now do two things when confronted by an ugly reality – performatively overreact so that everyone can see us doing so, and then wander off bored. This generation comprises the most enthusiastic activists in human history, and the least effective.

Remember when tennis was all in on mental health after Naomi Osaka announced she would no longer do press conferences? Big story at the time. Sponsors ate it up.

Osaka left for a while, had a kid, came back, isn’t anywhere near as good and nobody cares if she answers questions any more, or why. She was bounced here in the third round, got wet-eyed in her news conference and called herself “a negative human being.” It hardly made the news.

How about Peng Shuai? The former pro disappeared in China four years ago after accusing a top party member of sexual assault. Women’s tennis was in uproar. All tournaments in China were suspended. There were demands that she be produced. When China pushed her out for some canned interviews, there were new demands that she be produced better.

She wasn’t. She still hasn’t been. The WTA is back in China.

Its rationale, included in a 2023 statement: “We have concluded we will never fully secure [total access to Peng], and it will be our players and tournaments who ultimately will be paying an extraordinary price for their sacrifices.”

Open this photo in gallery: China's Peng Shuai, seen here taking part in the 2020 Australian Open, disappeared from the public eye after accusing a Chinese official of sexual assault. The WTA halted Chinese stops on the tour but eventually resumed them despite Shuai's security never being adequately accounted for in the WTA's eyes.KIM HONG-JI/Reuters

What a wonderfully honest thing to say aloud. In essence, we know what the right thing is, and we would like to do it but have chosen not to because it would cost us money.

Is there any cause that could move sports or athletes to do something that was against their financial interest? Almost certainly not. Historically, go-getting business people have not made great revolutionaries.

Instead, there is a shift to small, meaningless gestures. They’re still blanking out the flag logo beside the names of Russian tennis players here. I wonder how many people even know why any more.

The most dignified thing for sports would be to remove itself from the political realm altogether, but it’s too high on its own supply for that. Retreat would mean moving off the world stage. No more Change™.

Then you’re back to wearing a ribbon to support causes, and where’s the juice in that? Where’s the ambition?

Sports has grown too used to being in on the big issues of the day. If it’s in the news, sports wants to be part of the story – taking a knee, making a statement, guessing which is the right side of history. There is no better way to guarantee total coverage.

The world is moving in the other direction. Aside from a few of the right sort, they’d prefer people stay on their side of the border.

Wait until America starts banning teams and/or fans from the 2026 World Cup. Donald Trump says he won’t do that, but that he’s talking about it at all is a dark omen.

Once something like that happens, the guard rails are off. Every event everywhere from there on out will have a subtext of ‘But why are they here?’ Take your pick of who ‘they’ are. It will change from war to war.

If it goes that way, the Western nations who control sports can blame themselves.

For a century, the Olympic Charter made pains to include every nation, no matter what they’d done or to whom. No atrocity could bend their belief that sports must be a neutral gathering place.

Like our faith in all big ideas, that’s gone out of fashion. Pro sports assumed the lead from their internationalist colleagues. They wanted to jazz up the struggle, and maybe make a few bucks in the bargain. Get Nike on the blower. Do a whole awareness campaign about whatever trauma people are moaning about on TikTok today.

Unfortunately, sports has neither the courage of its convictions, nor any convictions to begin with. What it wants are hashtags to drive brand awareness and quick wins. When the wins aren’t quick, it folds.

In loss to Alcaraz at Wimbledon, Rublev finds personal victory

Sports doesn’t need better activism. It needs a philosophy. What is its function in the world? Is it a neutral actor, proving to everyone that we can all get along; or a thought leader for social justice, fighting the good fights (as long as they’re winnable)?

Does it want to take sides? And if so, is it going to start actually taking them? Or is it just going to take them for as long as the polling shows it’s not putting off ticket holders?

Do the athletes care? Or do they want to be seen as caring? If it’s the latter, why not go back to standing up for neutering your pets, or something else absolutely no one disagrees with?

Until sports can decide those things, it should say nothing. It should make its money the old fashioned way, and leave politics to people who want to be in the fight, not just the parade that follows.

Click here to read article