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MuddydogCO t1_j2miauk wrote

There's a reason Qatar and Russia wanted to host World Cups, despite the event losing money. It is a symbol of national pride and power.

Ms. Sabalenka is right that banning Russian players didn't change the war in any meaningful way. Yet, allowing or disallowing their participation is also symbolic. While very unfair to individual players, who are caught in an impossible situation, Wimbledon had to come down on the side of Ukraine.

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Nadenkend440 t1_j2ngnii wrote

I think there is a meaningful difference between the symbol of a country hosting a competition and the symbol of a country participating in a competition. Hosting is done by the state. Competing is done by the people. A victory earned by the people of Belarus could be abused by their state, but I'm not sure that means they should be excluded. Like you said it is unjust to them, and really does nothing to earn justice for Ukraine or strengthen their position.

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