"Karen Khachanov should be banned from ATP, ITF, Olympics" - Tennis fans miffed after claim about Russian sharing "military symbol" amid Ukraine war

Tennis fans were left feeling angry after a claim surfaced that Karen Khachanov had shared a military symbol amidst the ongoing war in Ukraine. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has mandated that Russian and Belarusian athletes must refrain from sharing any "military branding."

Russia invaded Ukraine in early 2022 which resulted in the loss of thousands of innocent Ukrainian lives due to bombings, attacks, and assaults. As a response to this, Russian and Belarusian tennis players were banned from competing at the 2022 Wimbledon Championships. However, they were later allowed to compete as neutrals in 2023 after the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) lifted the ban.

In 2023, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) suspended the Russian Olympic Committee but permitted athletes from Russia and Belarus to compete as Individual Neutral Athletes.

The IOC also implemented a rule that athletes who support the war, are affiliated with the Russian or Belarusian military, or national security agencies are not allowed to compete.

That is why when it was claimed that Russian tennis player Karen Khachanov shared an image of the ribbon of Saint George, a Russian military symbol, on social media, tennis fans expressed their anger and discontent.

Many fans believed that Khachanov should be 'banned' from competing by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), International Tennis Federation (ITF), and the Olympics for violating the IOC's conduct rules against showing support for the war and displaying military symbols.

"On May 9, 2024, Russian tennis player Karen Khachanov posted an image of the military symbol - St. George's ribbon. The publication of such symbols is the violation of IOC’s recommendations. Khachanov should be banned from ATP, ITF tournaments and Olympic Games," a user posted.

"Karen Khachanov must be banned!" a fan posted.

While some fans even called for a complete ban on all Russian athletes from the 2024 Paris Olympics.

"No Russians at the Olympics. There is no such thing as a neutral russian athlete. Russian sport is rotten to the core. What are you going to do about it IOC. Anything? Dirty Russian money perhaps?" a fan posted.

"There shouldn’t be any Russians in Paris. Not athletes or fans and certainly no IOC representatives. Send all the NHL players and footballers home too," a fan wrote.

Another fan stated that Karen Khachanov had shown his "true colors."

"Yikes, most Russian players show their true colours," a fan wrote.

Karen Khachanov previously landed in controversy for allegedly confronting Andrey Rublev over his stance on Russia-Ukraine war

Karen Khachanov

In 2022, it was reported by Politico that Karen Khachanov had allegedly confronted fellow Russian tennis player Andrey Rublev after he wrote "No War Please" on a TV camera following his semifinal victory at the 2022 Dubai Tennis Championships.

Khachanov supposedly suggested to Rublev that Russia should showcase its power through military action in Ukraine to demonstrate its greatness to the world.

"Russia should demonstrate its power through the conflict on Ukraine and show its greatness to the world," the former World No.8 had reportedly said.

When asked by a journalist about the reported confrontation and comments he made to Andrey Rublev, Khachanov neither confirmed nor denied the conversation. He stated that any discussion that may have taken place was "private."

“It was our private conversation. I am an athlete, not a politician,” Khachanov had said.