"I hope it happens as late as possible," Kostyuk speaks on the end of neutral flags in tennis
Ukraine and Russia have been at war since February 2022, which has had consequences in the world of sports. Since that date, Russian and Belarusian athletes have been allowed to participate in competitions, but under a neutral banner.
As a Ukrainian player in the top 30, Marta Kostyuk is aware that the players in question will not play their entire careers under a neutral banner and will get their flags back when the time comes. She explains her point of view in an interview given to local media.
"The initial goal of the ATP and WTA was to prevent the war from taking up space on the tours themselves. At our request, they raised the neutral flag on the fifth day of the war.
Then, Lesia Tsurenko and I put in a lot of effort, because Elina (Svitolina) was on maternity leave at the time and we were alone at that moment. I made a lot of effort to exclude Russians and Belarusians from tournaments.
Unfortunately, I did not succeed, because we cannot bypass either the rules or the laws. They felt that individual players are not responsible for the actions of their country. We at least got a public stance from them, because when you represent an aggressor country, you must have a position.
If you support them, okay, that's your right, but say it so people know. That was not the case. Many players are changing nationality, which I see as a positive sign.
When someone changes nationality, many people ask: 'Did she say anything about the war?' And I think: 'Okay, she didn't say anything, but she has already taken that incredible step. She no longer represents that country, and probably never will again, and for us, that is already a victory.'
There is progress. Even if players play with a neutral flag, it creates a certain discomfort because people still know where they come from. We can't do anything, except continue to emphasize their neutrality, because that is what prevails today.
When the war broke out, I didn't have the necessary knowledge to do what I do today. I was a 19-year-old girl trying to do everything she could. It cost me a lot of energy, but I stuck with it, because what was happening was unacceptable to me.
I will try to do everything in my power, I will appeal to the bodies that can influence the decision not to return their flags to them, but we can never have a guarantee that it won't happen. Sooner or later, we all know it will happen. I hope that moment comes as late as possible," Kostyuk assured the media Tribuna.
