Russian tennis star barred from plane and left at airport ‘with no food for 18 hours’
Tennis star Vitalia Diatchenko revealed she had been stuck in a Cairo airport for 18 hours after allegedly being barred from a flight due to her Russian passport. The 32-year-old, who was born in Sochi, has been forced to pull out of the Corsica Tennis Championships after missing her flight.
Diatchenko claimed she had all the required support letters needed to make the journey. However, she was apparently informed that she would not be able to complete the trip by the Polish airline Lot.
The World No 250 wrote a lengthy post on her Instagram story slamming the predicament. She claims she was not allowed to leave the airport, was left to sleep on a bench and did not eat, making her feel like a “third-class citizen”.
Diatchenko, who lost to Emma Raducanu in the first round of Wimbledon 2021, wrote: “Does it really help to improve [the] situation for peace? Today, I was refused to fly to a tournament in Corsica by Lott airlines, from Cairo – Warsaw – Nice, because I am the owner of a Russian passport. Airline rules suddenly do not allow any Russian [to] fly with Lott airlines!
“Incidentally, I had all the support letters from WTA, ITF but in modern tennis this doesn’t seem to make any difference in reality.
“Furthermore, I had support letters from my father, who is originally born in Ukraine and working for the United Nations. This letter stating I am his daughter (airline policy allows family members of people who have diplomatic passports to fly). But all airlines suddenly now refuse these documents because of your country of birth.
“As a result, stuck for 18 hours in Cairo airport, sleeping on benches, no food available and not allowed to leave the airport.”
In a further story, she wrote: “Travelling as a Russian citizen to Europe, I only received 14 days’ visa. Usually as an athlete I receive 2-3 years.
“Also, this visa had to be through Spain as they were the only country that would issue this visa. Therefore, flight has to go through Spain, so other borders such as the one for my tournament will not let me fly unless [it is] through Spain. In reality, this means four flights instead of two!
“End of the story, slept in airport, treated like a third-class citizen, spent a couple of thousand euros, now no possible way to make it to the tournament as [there is] no route because of airlines that won’t carry Russians and the limited visa situations.
“Finally, I have to withdraw and only option is to return home and miss another event because of this situation. As a professional athlete who is playing without any flag and not representing any country, just trying to get on with life and follow a career that I have loved all my life, is this fair to athletes that have no association with any part of the unfortunate situation?”
She ended the statement with: “Hope to free of politics, racism and Nazism. Just peace and clear sky please!”
In a statement to Express Sport, airline Lot said: “LOT Polish Airlines could not accept a citizen of the Russian Federation on its flight, acting in accordance with the Regulation of the Minister of Interior and Administration of March 13, 2020 on the temporary suspension or restriction of border traffic at certain border crossings (Journal of Laws 2020, item 435, as amended). The provisions of the regulation introduce restrictions at certain border crossings, including airport crossings, for citizens of the Russian Federation travelling from outside the Schengen area.”
It comes after Wimbledon lifted its ban on Russian athletes ahead of the summer’s Championships. Players from Russia and Belarus had been banned last year due to Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, to much contention from the tennis community.
This year, players from both countries will be allowed to participate as long as they compete as “neutral” athletes.
