Tsikhanouskaya ally condemns Belarusian athlete for insulting Ukrainian opponent, complacency in Russia's war

Pavel Latushka, the deputy head of the exiled Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya's cabinet, criticized Belarusian tennis player Aryna Sabalenka for insulting her Ukrainian opponent, Elina Svitolina, during a women's professional tennis match. Latushka deemed the behavior "absolutely unacceptable" and demanded that Sabalenka condemn Russia's war and the mass repression of Belarusians, as well as speak out against the release of political prisoners.

The incident occurred during the WTA finals in California on November 13, with Sabalenka and Svitolina competing against each other. Social media reports suggested that Sabalenka may have made disparaging remarks about Ukrainians or Svitolina herself. Latushka posted footage of the exchange on social media platform X, urging her to be banned from all WTA-sanctioned tournaments as a consequence.

Belarus and Russia have faced international sporting bans due to Russia's actions in Ukraine. The Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled in October that the International Ice Hockey Federation's exclusion of Russian athletes from its tournaments was unlawful, allowing Russia to return to the sport. Belarusian athletes have also been subject to similar bans for Minsk's role in the war.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko granted Russia the use of Belarusian territory at the start of the full-scale invasion in 2022, as Russian forces advanced on Kyiv from Belarus.