IMAGE: Russian tennis participant Vitalia Diatchenko was denied boarding by Polish Airlines LOT. Photograph: Matthew Childs/Reuters
A Russian tennis participant was refused boarding to a flight operated by Polish flag service LOT, the airline confirmed on Tuesday, in an incident that drew an offended response from the athlete on social media.
Tennis participant Vitalia Diatchenko stated on Monday she was refused boarding to a LOT flight in Cairo, with German airline Lufthansa then additionally refusing to promote her a ticket.
“I slept on the airport, I used to be handled like a 3rd class citizen (due to my nationality), spent a number of thousand euro,” Diatchenko wrote. The 32-year outdated stated she had been trying to journey to a match in Corsica through Warsaw and Nice.
In an emailed assertion, LOT confirmed it had not allowed the participant to board, citing restrictions launched by Poland’s inside ministry through the COVID-19 pandemic and up to date in 2022 following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“The provisions of the regulation introduce restrictions at sure border crossings, together with airport crossings, in relation to residents of the Russian Federation touring from exterior the Schengen space,” LOT stated in an emailed assertion.
The European Union has banned all flights from Russia and has agreed to restrict issuing free-travel Schengen zone visas. In September, Finland joined the Baltic states and Poland in closing its borders to Russian vacationers.
Diatchenko, who’s ranked 250th on the planet by the Women’s Tennis Association, stated she then tried to purchase a ticket with Lufthansa , however was advised she might solely enter the Schengen zone through Spain because it had issued her visa.
Lufthansa had no instant remark.
Unlike many different sports activities, tennis didn’t introduce a blanket ban on gamers from Russia and its ally Belarus after the invasion of Ukraine.
Wimbledon banned gamers from the 2 international locations final yr after the invasion, which Moscow calls a “particular navy operation”, however stated in March that it will now settle for them as impartial athletes.
Russian and Belarusian gamers have been competing on the excursions and on the different Grand Slams as impartial athletes.
