Tennis-Russian, Belarusian players to compete as 'neutrals' at Wimbledon after ban lifted

FILE PHOTO: Britain Tennis - Wimbledon - All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club, Wimbledon, England - 28/6/16 A general view of the Wimbledon logo in the rain REUTERS/Toby Melville

(Reuters) -Wimbledon lifted its ban on Russian and Belarusian players on Friday and will allow them to compete in the grasscourt Grand Slam this year as "neutral" athletes in a climbdown from the stance it took after Moscow's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

The players will be prohibited from expressing support for the invasion and must not receive funding from the Russian or Belarusian states, tournament organisers the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) said in a statement.