The US Open wants to raise $2 million to help Ukraine. At the same time, Russians and Belarusians were allowed to play there

The US Open will host a humanitarian aid campaign for Ukraine. The goal of the event is to raise $2 million to support Ukrainians.

This is reported by Reuters.

The Louis Armstrong Stadium in New York will host an event on August 24 with the participation of 22-time Grand Slam winner Rafa Nadal and world number one players Iga Sviatek and John McEnroe.

The United States Tennis Association (USTA) notes that funds from the sale of tickets will go to help Ukrainians affected by the war.

"This is a vitally important cause, and Iʼm proud of the way in which our sport has rallied together to lend a much-needed hand to our friends in Ukraine," said USTA President Mike McNulty.

At the same time, the US Open, unlike Wimbledon, will allow athletes from Russia and Belarus to play under a neutral flag. Ukrainian tennis player, and Olympic bronze medalist Elina Svitolina criticized this decision.

""I donʼt support it because I feel like they should have taken more serious action," she said.

• As of July 11, 134 sports sanctions have already been imposed against Russia and Belarus in the world, Minister of Youth and Sports of Ukraine Vadym Gutzait said. In particular, the International Tennis Federation deprived the Russian Federation and the Russian Federation of membership in its organization and suspended both national teams from the Davis Cup, the Billie Jean King Cup, and Wimbledon.
• On June 14, the Ukrainian Ministry of Youth and Sports announced that if representatives from Russia and Belarus are allowed to participate in competitions, Ukrainian athletes are ready to block their performances and boycott such competitions.