‘No Ukrainian can go home’: Australian Open director urges sports to support war-affected players and athletes

Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley has urged the tennis world and other sports to do more to support Ukrainian athletes in the midst of the ongoing war with Russia.

Tiley and organisers have been at the centre of controversy for introducing a ban on Russian flags at Melbourne Park, after flags were displayed during a match between Ukrainian and Russian players.

Before the start of the final day of the tournament, Tiley spoke to ABC Radio about the issues faced during the two-week event, including Russian flags, debate about late finishes and curfews.

The red, white and blue stripes of the Russian flag were visible in the crowd during the first-round match between Kateryna Baindl and Kamilla Rakhimova on day one of the tournament, prompting the ban.

“We’ve always been an event where we want our fans to come on site and have a good time, and we don’t want to be an event where you’ve got to wait for hours at the entry because you’ve got to be searched,” he said.

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