A Russian-born tennis player will be competing at Wimbledon this month despite its ban on Russian players after changing her nationality to represent Georgia.
Natela Dzalamidze, 29, who is ranked 43rd in the world in women’s doubles, appears on the championship’s ladies’ doubles entry list (pdf) as Georgian.
She competed at the French Open last month under the neutral flag as players were banned from competing under the name or flag of Russia or Belarus.
In an email to The Epoch Times, a spokesperson for the All England Club, which hosts the prestigious grass courts tournament, said, “Player nationality, defined as the flag they play under at professional events, is an agreed process that is governed by the Tours and the ITF [International Tennis Federation].”…